Unexpected
by Enaty
Summary: Kami and human are different species, and although they might come to love each other, can they understand what's going on in each other's mind? Communication problems seem inevitable in this constellation... ICP series, Part 3
1. Introduction

**Title**: Unexpected

**Author**: Enaty

**Rating**: M

**Warnings**: hermaphrodite D, Leon's language, implications of sex, severe emotional trauma

**Disclaimer**: Don't own anything as far as the original cast of PSoH is concerned.

**Claimer**: Dana, Barf, Jamie, Sandy, Alex, can't think of more, but there are probably a few other OCs around here somewhere, which also belong to me, meaning I'd like to be told if someone uses them.

**Author's** **Notes**: So, to everyone out there who might not know, this piece here is the third part of a series named "Interspecies Communication Problems". If you don't want to read the first two parts, which I would nevertheless recommend you do someday or the other, here's a short summary: "Unwanted" starts right after D fled from America with the realisation that he's pregnant. Because Leon can't remember that they'd even had sex, D decides not to tell him about his child Dana, but his plans are ruined when Leon turns up in Tokyo roughly two years after Dana's birth and finds out that he's got a child.

"Unprepared", the second part, revolves around D's return to America and his and Leon's attempts to establish a relationship for Dana's sake, as well as various other problems they have to deal with when D suddenly is back with a child. At the point where Unprepared stops, they have managed to somehow pull themselves together by solving some problems and ignoring others, and are a happy couple. At least they think they are.

If you still want to read, you're welcome to have a look at this :-)

To my faithful readers who've been with this series since "Unwanted": What a surprise, the story continues. You didn't think I'd let it end with all that fluff, did you?

…

You did?!

…

I think I already announced it on various occasions, but I'm gonna say it again: I hate fluff. And I'm a cruel, sadistic author with a definite weakness for problematic relationships… *evil laugh*

*hrm* Yeah, like I said. So if you were happy with the (terribly fluffy) ending of "Unprepared" and didn't realise that it simply can't be that easy if I'm the author, do yourself a favour and for god's sake don't read "Unexpected". Chances are you'll want to kill me before Chapter 5 is up and I don't really dig threats on my life (despite the fact that I'm a cruel, sadistic author).

Okay, let's get down to business. I truly mean this. If you don't want to read what happens after the "Happily ever after", don't start. I didn't name the series "Interspecies Communication _Problems_" for no reason. Love is a curious thing, and despite what Hollywood wants us to believe, it barely ever turns out like we want it to. Not even, or especially not if you love the other one more than your life and would sacrifice everything for him/her.

As usual I would be delighted if I got feedback, meaning: everything is welcome, and especially constrictive criticism. If you write a review and want to tell me that I've made a mistake somewhere, you don't need to excuse for telling me so. Like every sensible person on this planet, I am grateful if I'm told how to do it better.

To my great surprise, I've not yet been flamed. I shall hope that this situation stays like it is, but only in case: Write it better.

I don't think I want to say something else, so have fun and if you feel like it, leave me a review.

Enaty


	2. Chapter 1: Final Decision

**Final Decision**

"You're never gonna believe what happened!" Leon blurted, stepping inside the shop.

D looked up from Dana's hair. "I will have to believe it if it is the truth," he answered calmly, pulling his daughter's hair into a ponytail similar to Leon's. "Sit still, child."

"Jill hooked up with Alex!" the blonde nearly yelled, eager to tell the news.

D raised one perfect eyebrow. "Oh dear. I had hoped Miss Jill would find a worthier man," he said.

Leon slumped down onto the sofa. "Yeah, you're telling me! Guy's nice to party with, but everything else… okay, he's not prejudiced. Still."

"There you go, Dana." D let her go and she hopped down from the chair to present herself to her human father.

"I've got a tail like you!" she said proudly. Leon smiled at the little girl and patted his leg. She instantly crawled up onto it. Even he had to admit by now that she resembled him a lot. Since her second birthday a few weeks ago, her hair had been growing lighter and lighter, although it would never be the golden colour Leon's was.

D smiled, watching father and daughter talking to each other, telling each other tales from the shop and work. Another change that the birthday had brought along was that Dana's ability to speak and express herself had developed considerably. She was far brighter than human children her age were. Still, he wasn't overly worried by that. After all, she never got into much contact with other children she could be compared with. And Chris didn't count anyway.

He looked at them again and then turned back to the kitchen, sighing a little. He had to get lunch served, else Leon's break would be over before his lover had eaten. D didn't like Leon leaving for the precinct again without having eaten something. He didn't have time anymore to spend hours and hours at the pet shop, just drinking tea with D. The chief had understood while it still was new, but now…

Well, he had no reason to complain, that much was for sure. After all, their tea-times had been exchanged for the most delightful make-out sessions when Leon came home from the precinct to stay for the night.

"So, now, Miss Jill really has a new boyfriend?" he inquired and sat down, placing a plate in front of Leon and Dana. The girl obligingly crawled down from her father's lap and seated herself beside him, taking her beloved spoon. Tetsu sidled up, waiting for food to drop as usual, and the young kami had to hide a smile behind his hand.

The blonde grimaced and dug in hungrily. "Yeah. Well, truth be told, I've no idea if he really is her boyfriend in the very sense of the word," he said. "Be careful, sweetie. No, that's my plate. You've got your own, and my food tastes no differently. 'S more like, they're having an affair," he added, talking to his lover now again. "Whatever made her do that. Truly, she could get someone better just going out for one evening. Dana!"

D sighed deeply, already setting his own plate aside, and took the serviette to clean up the tea Dana had just spilled. Leon muttered a few choice curse words under his breath, so quietly the girl couldn't understand them, but the kami still sent his lover a stern glance. He'd not yet succeeded in curing that habit, but he was determined to. Dana showed far too much interest in her human father's language.

"Go change, I will clean it up," he calmed the blonde on whose jeans the tea had partly spilled, casting a glance at the clock. "If I'm not mistaken, you only have fifteen minutes left."

Leon looked at the clock, too, and grimaced again. "Yeah, that's true. I'm sorry, D –"

"Go change," his lover cut him off, smiling. "You can tell me at dinner."

Leon still made the time to kiss D thoroughly before leaving again.

* * *

They talked about Jill's new boyfriend some more in bed that evening. Dinner had been too chaotic, as usual. Dana was getting wild, could barely sit still for a minute and all they could do was watch out for glasses being shattered and plates being dropped. And pets stealing food, since everybody took their chance at trying to get something from the table while both kami and human were distracted.

But now they had time for themselves. That meant of course, if Dana would not wake. Her nightmares had ceased, but now she woke in the middle of the night and wanted to play. Neither Leon nor D were too happy about that, both having to work in the morning again.

"She told me today, and she sure looked like she had a bad conscience. Not surprisingly. I mean, not only is Alex her inferior, but also the most light-headed guy in the precinct," Leon said, slumping down onto the bed with a relieved sigh. Then he raised his head again, looking curiously at D. "Why do you even wear those to bed? It's not as if you'd need them that often."

The kami sent him a reprimanding glance and pulled his pyjamas on all the same. The blonde grinned and D felt indignant. "Perhaps you should sometimes think about something else," he said sharply. "There are other things that can be done in bed, too."

Leon looked surprised. "Like what?" he asked.

D glided under the sheets and snuggled in, feeling ever more irked that his lover wanted to provoke him with that question and actually succeeded with his trick.

"Talking, for example. Talking about how each other's day has been," he replied sharper than he'd intended to while Leon scooted closer and started trailing fingers over D's top.

"What for?" he murmured and placed a kiss on D's throat. The kami considered pushing him away, but the blonde already continued talking. "We know how each other's day has been the moment we see each other."

"I know." D felt his annoyance melt under those skilled hands. "Still, it offers the opportunity to exchange opinions and share problems and such things…"

Leon's fingers halted. "Is that an I-want-you-to-ask-me-what-problem-I-have?" he inquired suspiciously. "_Is_ there a problem I should know about, D?"

D considered telling him about the nagging feeling he'd felt the last few days; but then, it was nothing worth mentioning. He had just wished Leon would spend less time at work.

But then, what was his problem? He had everything he'd always dreamt of. Leon was his lover, they shared their lives like a married couple, they even had a wonderful if exhausting daughter – life was just like he'd wanted it to be in those terrible days in Tokyo, was it not?

So he sighed, smiled and pressed his body against Leon's skilled hands, purring at the touches that lit a fire in his belly. "No, Leon, there is no problem," he replied and then abandoned thought for a while.

* * *

However, he asked Leon when they were lying on the tangled sheets afterwards, satisfied and tired, almost asleep.

"Have you already terminated your apartment?"

"Huh?" Leon stirred sleepily. "What? What about my apartment?"

D propped himself up on his elbows, studying the blonde's face intently. "You said you'd move into the shop. Before Dana's birthday."

The blue eyes cleared slowly. "Yeah? And what about that? I'm already as good as living here, ain't I? I mean, I haven't been to my apartment since – two weeks ago at least."

"I know." D tried not to be impatient. Leon couldn't know that it mattered to him. Couldn't know that the apartment made him nervous, because he could move back into it anytime he wanted to. "I'm just thinking it is a waste of money since you do not even use it anymore. If you would move into the shop, you could spend the money on something useful."

The blonde chuckled. "Hey, am I not buying you enough sweets or what? You're gonna get fat if I bring you more."

"I will not!" the young kami protested vigorously. "I was just thinking – will you move into the shop at last, please?"

"Please?" Leon echoed, tugging D closer. "Wow, you're begging me to do something. Is something the matter or what?" A sudden blaze of something indefinable appeared in his eyes only to vanish again and leave alertness. "Are you pregnant again or what?"

D couldn't help but laugh out at that. The body beneath his relaxed a fraction. "Of course not!" he said bemused. "I'm drinking tea every morning."

"You're drinking tea every day, but that didn't stop you from getting Dana," Leon pointed out dryly and D shook his head.

"Leon, you know that the tea I am referring to is different," he said, caressing his lover's cheek. "It is my pill, if you want to call it such."

The blue eyes were interested and not tired anymore. "What exactly does it do if you've got no monthlies? I mean, I know how it works with the pill, but you?"

It took D a moment to prepare an explanation Leon would understand. He of course knew how his body worked, but he'd never needed to explain to someone else. Finally he settled on something he thought the human would be able to grasp.

"Imagine my body like a flower," he said and blushed when Leon had to bite back a grin, but continued nonetheless. "It has got a pistil and filaments."

Now the blonde laughed outright. "Oh yeah, think I can picture that," he said, grinned broadly and nudged a certain body part. D almost hit him.

"Do you want an explanation now or not?" he inquired instead icily. Leon stopped laughing, even though his eyes still sparkled, amused.

"Yeah, I want one. So. You've got pistil and filaments. And?"

D's cheeks were on fire. "You know that a flower is basically a hermaphrodite due to that. Some are. They are both male and female alike and can produce offspring with themselves."

"You could get yourself pregnant?" Leon gaped for a moment.

D blinked irritated. "Yes, of course I could," he said. "That is how I was born. What did you think?"

"Wait, but you told me that navel is just remainder of old times…" Leon protested.

D sighed impatiently. "Yes, of course. We can be born without parental help. But that does not mean that we have to. I was borne by my father, in any case. He reproduced with himself, if you will. When he got reborn, though, he more or less gave birth to his next incarnation."

"I think that's too complicated for pillow talk." Leon studied D's face for a moment with an indiscernible expression. "Just get on with the details how that tea works, okay?"

The young kami sighed again and did as his lover asked. "Other than a flower, however, or any other living being, the seed of life, which is our sperm and egg, is produced in our body, in something that almost looks like woman's womb. If we are impregnated by a male, it just stays and grows there until the baby is born. If we are the male partner, it is implanted into our partners' womb by the same mechanisms."

He could see Leon's brains working. "But you don't have separate ovaries?" he asked.

D shook his head. "No. We do not need them. Like I said, it is almost like a human, but not analogous. The tea I am drinking prevents my body from producing a seed of life."

"But that's just the same like the pill," Leon said and he sighed impatiently.

"No. You didn't listen to me. I do not have an ovulation like a woman. I cannot. The seed is not already in my body, my body only starts producing one when certain hormones work together. Do you understand now?"

The blonde's brow was wrinkled. "I'm not sure," he admitted and yawned. "But it's too late to discuss that anyway. Let's sleep. I'm tired."

He tucked D closer and closed his eyes, but the kami resisted. "And what about your apartment?" he insisted on the original question.

Leon cracked one eye open and looked at him, bemused. "Alright, alright. I'm gonna terminate tomorrow if it makes you happy," he said.

The young kami smiled and finally settled into his lover's arms. "Yes, it does," he replied softly. But Leon was already asleep.

* * *

Jill was of course the first who got to know about this new development. She listened to Leon talking to his landlord on the phone and swivelled her chair around when he put the receiver down.

"So, you're finally going to move into that shop, yes?" she asked, playing with her pencil.

Leon shot her an irritated glance. "What the hell do you mean? I've practically been living there for months."

"You've been spending the nights there for almost seven weeks," his best friend corrected. "In my book, that makes nearly two months."

Leon tried to calculate if she was right, but he couldn't remember very well. The chaos of the first months in America had all kind of blurred together in his head, only some events stuck out, like Dana's birthday and Chris's visit at the beginning of August, but then he'd already been spending the nights in the shop. Or rather, D's bed.

He sighed and gave up. "Okay, just gonna believe you." He favoured her with a curious glance. "You've been keeping track of what we were doing or what? I don't know shit about that time anymore, and it's not so long since."

She chuckled and glanced at her computer screen. "Let's just say, I didn't have much of a private life to busy myself with, so I rather took an interest in yours, yes."

"Oh yes?" Leon raised an eyebrow and gave her a meaningful glance. "And what about Alex?"

She blushed and snapped. "We were just sleeping with each other, nothing more. And that was just three or four times anyway."

The blonde moved his shoulders uncomfortably. "Jill, I know you're a grown woman, but are you sure it's the right thing to do?" he asked. "I mean, what if the chief gets to know? Alex is still your insubordinate, even if he works in another department."

The woman groaned and propped her head up in her hands. "Please, Leon! Don't you think I've been going through all this too? I know. I _know_, hell, how should I not? I know it was stupid and all, but a woman's got needs, too. And it's not funny to see everybody else get hooked. I mean, even you finally managed to get together with the Count."

"Hey, now, what're you trying to say?" Leon protested and half rose, but she waved him off, sighing deeply.

"Don't get your pants in a bunch, you know full well what I mean. Be honest, if it hadn't been for Dana, you'd have taken years to get around the fact that you're in love with a guy."

"D's not a –" Leon said automatically, and she cut him off.

"I know, he's not a complete guy. Doesn't change anything. You were still all freaked out by the fact that you might be gay, and don't even try to tell me you weren't 'cause I can tell that you were."

"That still doesn't mean I'm only with him because we've got a kid!" the blonde protested and Jill waved impatiently again.

"I know, silly, but that doesn't change the fact that you wouldn't have made up your mind by now if not for Dana."

Leon looked out of the window. "Yeah, okay. Okay, I probably would've taken longer."

Not to mention, just to find the guts to go search for D again. After all, it was mostly due to Honlon that he'd started looking for the kami again. But Jill didn't know that. She knew about one kid, no need to tell her about the second, although Leon sometimes wished he could really talk with her about the shop. About how weird he sometimes felt in there. Especially since three or four days ago, when he'd thought he saw a, a _something_ lingering over Honlon. But that was just absurd.

"But I'm not with him just because of Dana!" he insisted, pushing the other thoughts aside.

"I know." Jill was starting to look irritated. She was pretty stressed off lately, and Leon guessed Alex was responsible for a good deal of her jumpiness. Why in hell didn't she break up with him?

"Hey, you gonna help me move?" he asked instead, trying to find a harmless subject. Her face lit up.

"Yeah, course. When are you gonna start?"

Leon checked the calendar on the wall. "This weekend?" he suggested. "We can do it step by step. Most of my clothes are at the pet shop anyway, but the other stuff needs to be packed and all."

She grinned. "You want me to take care of that?"

He looked shocked. "No! You're going to throw away everything!"

"At least your porn collection. I doubt the Count would be unhappy with that," she remarked and giggled when Leon's expression got horrified.

"Oh damn, haven't thought about that yet," he mumbled unhappily. "What am I going to do with that?"

"Give it to the guys," Jill suggested. A door was opened somewhere and then the chief called for her.

"Jill!" he barked. Both friends exchanged an ominous look. Jill's shoulders hunched.

"Uh-oh," she murmured. "Not happy."

"Not at all," Leon asserted and looked worried. "Usually he sounds like that when he's calling for me… Jill, you done anything wrong?"

"Other than fucked my subordinate?" his friend countered and got up, looking like being led to the shambles. Leon patted her back in sympathy.

"I'll get you a cup of coffee in the meantime," he promised and was favoured with a weak look in return.

"JILL!"

The woman sighed and walked up to the chief, already standing in the door, waiting for her. By the look on his face, Leon decided to definitely get Jill some coffee. Strong coffee. At the least.

* * *

A/N: Thank my brother for this getting online tonight. He had the choice and he chose this. Hooray for him ;-P


	3. Farewell, old life

**Farewell, old life**

They got to work that evening after having dinner at the pet shop. D agreed to bring Dana to bed while Leon and Jill went to his apartment and started packing things. Or better, started sorting out things. Leon had to confess that he was pretty surprised to discover some things in his flat he'd thought long since gone. Jill just laughed at him and threw an old key ring in his direction. Dinner with D had cheered her up again, but she was still pretty low because of the chief.

"I don't really know what I'm going to do," she confessed to her friend, sorting books into a carton. "I mean, it's not like I could really break up with Alex. We're not going steady or anything. At least, I think we're not going steady. And I don't want to go steady with Alex, though he's not bad in bed."

Leon held up his hands. "Too much information, Jill. I don't want to know. It's bad enough having to listen to him bragging when we're drinking."

"And when was the last time you drank with any of us?" she countered and held up a book. "Are you sure you wanna keep that one? It looks like it's going to fall apart any second!"

Leon gave her a hurt look. "Yeah, I'm sure I want to keep it. I love that book! And it can't be that long since I partied with you and the guys."

Jill shrugged and packed it into the carton. "Three months and three and a half weeks, if you want to know."

Now he stared at her. "You really don't have enough work, do you?"

She smirked. "Nope, not where you're concerned. But the last time you had some fun with anyone but the Count was when Sandy went to Spain. She should be back soon, too. What are we going to do for her?"

The blonde shrugged. "Dunno. You got any ideas? But I don't think I should spend so much time with her anyway... D was pretty jealous of her."

"Yeah, he's quite possessive, isn't he?" Jill conceded and smiled at her friend mockingly. "And? How does it feel to be hooked like that, Mr. Orcot? You already have a date for your wedding party?"

He threw the key ring back at her. "Don't be silly, I can't marry D, you know that. He's a guy, at least legally."

"I don't think he's registered anywhere at all," Jill retorted and caught the key ring. "Hey, can I have that one?"

Leon looked at the silver flower. "Sure, if you want," he said, looking critically. "I won't need it anymore, that much's for sure."

"Yeah, but my sister's gonna love it," she said and put it into her back pocket. "You know that this is the first time since a month or so that we're talking?"

Leon rolled his eyes in exasperation. "What's it with you all lately? D, you... it there a virus spreading? An I-want-to-talk virus, or what?"

"You're being silly!" she chided and laughed. "No, it's just that you're so busy lately. Every talk is in passing. You can't be so busy with just the cases. Or you're working too much again."

Leon shrugged and grinned lopsidedly. "Well, perhaps I am. I've got a family now, Jill, I've gotta bring money home."

"It's not as if the Count wouldn't be fully able to support you rather than reverse. You would have to spend a month's wage for just one of his cheongsam," Jill remarked dryly and Leon glared at her.

"Yeah, thanks, rub it in my face," he snarled. "Listen, I know that, but I've got to do my share, okay?"

"Ya, okay! Forget I said anything!"

For some moments they worked in silence. Then Jill looked at her friend again, a warm smile on her lips. "Hey, you know what? D's really lucky that he got someone like you," she said. Leon looked up, surprised.

Then he smiled, too. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

It was past midnight when Leon returned to the shop with two cartons of stuff in his car.

* * *

The crates in the apartment got more and more, while at the same time, the number of things that were Leon's increased in the pet shop. D watched the developments, quite pleased. He was busy, too, very busy. It seemed his return was finally known city-wide, and a lot of his old customers as well as new ones came. He wasn't sure if he liked that, it almost reminded him of those days after the leopard's rescue, when everyone had just stopped by to talk to the hero.

Back then, there had been Chris in the shop, but now it was Dana, and the girl was everything but happy with the fact that both of her fathers couldn't give her as much attention as she wanted. To give D some more time for the shop, Leon picked her up in the evening when he drove to his apartment and let her sleep on his bed while he packed his things. Sometimes he even stayed at the apartment overnight when it got too late to wake Dana up and drive back to the shop.

Then the blonde finally announced that they could start to clear the apartment that weekend.

* * *

Leon looked around in the almost empty apartment and wiped his brow. "Anything for this round still?" he asked and D cast a glance at the stacked cartons and crates, too.

"Nothing except your daughter," he answered, making Leon chuckle.

"I bet she's hiding in a crate again. Or under the bed," he said, sat his crate down and went into his former bedroom. The bed was still standing in there, but on and around it were various cartons.

"Dana! Come here, sweetie, we want to go back to the shop," the blonde called. One of the crates giggled excitedly. D smiled, having followed him, and pointed to it, but his lover pretended not to notice. He shook his head in confusion. "Strange, I could've sworn there was a baby in here somewhere," he said. The young kami stifled a chuckle with his hand. "Now where did I pack it? It's not in there, that's food, and that over there are my books… D, have you seen the baby carton?" Leon continued.

"I'm afraid I haven't, Leon," D answered, his mismatched eyes sparkling mischievously. "Perhaps Miss Jill has already taken it to the shop?"

"Yeah, maybe. Or I put it in another room," Leon suggested, moving away from the crate his child was hiding in. D wrinkled his brow, but the blonde winked reassuringly, and he played along. "Yes, it might be in the sitting room. Shall we go look for it there?"

"Yeah, let's go look for it there," Leon agreed.

Dana stuck her head out of her hiding-place. "Daddy!" she called and dived down again while her father spun round and pretended to listen very hard.

"You hear that, D? Did someone call Daddy in here?" he asked and the crate giggled even more excitedly, starting to move back and forth. Leon took two steps towards it. "You knew the baby carton could talk?" he asked the kami who was barely able to keep his laughter in check.

Dana peeked over the rim. "Daddy!"

"Ha, there you are!" Leon sprinted over to her, scooping up both crate and child in it. She screeched with joy and D, leaning onto the doorframe, lost the fight and laughed out happily.

"Really, Detective, you are more of a child than she is," he said bemused, his eyes telling how much he loved that fact. His lover smiled at him, a soft, warm expression on his face.

Steps echoed through the other room and Jill came up behind D, peeking into the bedroom curiously. "You're still not done? Gosh, Leon, moving from your bachelor flat to the shop is a deep cut alright, but sometime this year you should come around," she teased her friend, who placed the Dana crate on a stack of other cartons.

"I am, Jill, I am. Just making sure I'm not forgetting anything. The baby, for example."

"Let's go Auntie Jill!" Dana tried to climb out of the carton, causing the stack to shake dangerously. Leon caught his child in time to prevent her from falling.

"Careful, sweetie," he said and swung her around to at last place her in D's arms. "Okay, if you take that one, I'm gonna take the heavy one over there."

Jill hoisted up the indicated crate and groaned. "Considering that you're a bachelor, I really have to ask myself how you managed to acquire tons of stuff," she complained.

"It's not that much!" Leon protested and followed her down the stairs. D descended like a princess, only carrying his child. Leon never asked him to carry anything, and he was kind of glad for that, although he of course was even stronger than the human was.

They drove to the pet shop and unloaded the cars. Then D and Dana stayed there while the other two went back and fetched the rest of the cartons. However, when they came and brought the rest and Leon announced that he still had to get some things, D went with him. He, too, wanted to take leave of the apartment, though probably for other reasons than his lover. He went to the bakery round the corner to get some éclairs while Leon went ahead.

Leon sighed and looked around in the empty rooms. Only two small crates were here at the moment, stuff he'd bought for the renovation. A sudden sinking feeling got into his stomach. There were the signs of his old posters on the walls, and Leon felt quiet remorse creep up in his heart. Confused, he tried to suppress it. He'd taken them down months ago, before Dana had spent the first weekend here. He wasn't one of those who felt reluctance to move on to new chapters. And there was no big deal behind this. After all, he'd practically not spent a day at his apartment for months, let alone a night. He'd come for this and that when he needed it, and from time to time had taken Dana over for fun. Or if D was pissed at both him and the girl, and that had been three or four times at the most. They were getting along at the moment. They had stopped fighting all the time and exchanged quarrels with sex.

Still – now there was no way back, and that struck him for the first time. There would be no apartment to flee to now if he and D got really angry at each other, and that was something he was actually afraid of, although he hated to admit that. No way out.

He knew he shouldn't feel like this, knew he'd said yes 'cause he really wanted to be with D and Dana all the time. And he hated himself for being such a pessimist. But then…

"Leon, are you alright?" a soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned and tried to smile at D, but it was somewhat strained. The young kami stepped closer.

"Is something the matter?" he inquired, worried. Leon sighed. He also hated serious talk. Sure, they'd done some in the first months. 'Cause they'd had to make this work somehow. But that didn't mean he'd liked that too much. He'd always preferred actions to words. And didn't holding D close whenever possible speak louder than a hundred "Yeah honey, I love you"?

The expression flitting across D's face, though, told him he should better try to explain if he didn't want his lover taxing his head. He liked to give D something to think about. But not now.

"Just thinking about what happens if we fight now," he mumbled. D's serene expression cracked and he smiled relieved, wrapping his arms around his lover from behind and leaning his head onto his shoulder.

"Do not worry about that, Leon," he replied softly. "The shop offers ample opportunity to get out of each other's hair. If you wish, I will prepare a room for you that you can do with as you please."

Leon felt a creeping sensation in his spine. It had taken him some time to understand that neither Dana's nor his room (in which he'd never actually slept) had been there before D "prepared" them, whatever that meant. Perhaps this weirdness made a good deal of his reluctance to finally move into the shop completely. Creepy. Just – creepy. A ship that could turn into a shop, well, he could deal with that, somehow, after all, Noah had built an ark as well, and that had to have been pretty big if a pair of all some millions animals fit into it.

A shop-ship that constantly changed to accommodate D's demands – weird. It made his skin tingle to think of it.

"You will get used to it," D said softly, sensing his lover's unease. "Do not be afraid. As long as I will protect you, nothing and no one in the shop will harm you. And I doubt that anyone would should I not protect you, either."

It was not quite a lie, but it wasn't true either. Nothing and no one would harm Leon, true – but only because they knew that D loved this human. The kami was glad that some of the predators had taken a liking to the human, even Tetsu; it offered protection for him when D was not able to provide it. He had of course noticed that his lover wasn't too fond of the shop and tried to keep out of most rooms, but he was actually glad for that. Better to take this slow. Once Leon had completely moved into the shop, they could start introducing him to it. Even if D planned not to show him all and everything. There were truths far beyond Leon's comfort zone, and those should better stay out of his sight.

But right now, he didn't want to worry about all that. Right now, it was his duty to take Leon's mind off his fears and reassure him that they would be alright, as long as they tried and helped each other. So he kissed the slightly stubbly cheek and pressed himself close to Leon's back. "Shall we celebrate goodbye to this apartment?" he purred, hands suggestively slipping down further.

Leon blinked surprised, then he grinned. "Well, the bed's still here… Was thinking about taking it with me… after all, it's got some meaning for us, doesn't it?"

D's eyes sparkled when Leon turned around in his arms and embraced him in turn. "I think you should," he murmured. "But not right yet."

Gently he pushed the human into the direction of the bed, his belly suddenly filling with butterflies. They'd never slept with each other in this bed again. If they'd been at the apartment, Dana had been here too. But right now, she was at the pet shop with Jill. They had some time to themselves, and D fully intended to make use of that, even if it wasn't much. He could never get enough of Leon's touches and kisses.

* * *

"So, now we can start painting the walls tomorrow," Leon said, his mouth full, when they were having dinner later. "I bought some paint and brushes. D, you wanna help?"

He looked at his lover questioningly, who nodded. "Yes, of course. We will be done much faster if you don't do it alone. Besides, Dana will probably want to watch and it's better to keep an eye on her."

"I wanna paint too!" the girl announced and teased Pon-chan. D sent her a reprimanding glance.

"Dana, how many times have I told you you shan't tease the pets?" he asked and she pouted. "And you're not going to play with paint."

"But I want to paint, too!" she protested.

Jill looked at her friend meaningfully. "See, that's why I never got myself children," she said.

"You would love to have children," Leon countered and stretched. "Damn, I'm going to have muscle ache tomorrow!"

"Yeah, tell me about it!" she replied and stood up. "Thanks for dinner, Count. I'll be at your apartment tomorrow at nine, kay?"

"It was my pleasure, Miss Jill. We will meet you there at nine o'clock."

"Yup. Bye, Jill," Leon called after her and then turned to D. "Why don't you just call her Jill?" he asked, sounding somewhat dissatisfied. The kami looked at him in surprise.

"Why, because she has never allowed me to call her by just her first name," he answered.

Leon wrinkled his brow. "But she's your friend. It sounds so damn formal. I thought you didn't like being formal."

"I said I do not understand why humans contribute so much importance to formalities," D corrected and straightened. "I just adhere your rules."

"Huh," Leon answered and took his still pouting daughter out of the children's seat. "We'll go say good night to Honlon."

"Do so."

D turned his attention to the remains of dinner and was halfway done cleaning them when Leon returned, a strange look on his face. "D," he began, then stopped, obviously unsure. The kami turned to him.

"Yes? Is something wrong?"

"Well, I -" Leon hesitated. "Does Honlon really look like a girl?" he asked then.

D blinked in astonishment. "What?"

The human gesticulated. "You know, in her other form! The one you see all the time."

"First of all, I do not see them in their other forms all the time, and second, yes, she does look like a girl. But surely Chris told you that already."

"Yeah, he did." Leon sat down on his chair again and looked pissed. "Still. It would've been nice of you to give me a warning."

"A warning of what exactly, Leon? That my pets have another form? You know that already." D was starting to get impatient. A small sound from the door made him look up at his dragon daughter.

"A warning that he's going to see us as humans, too," Shuko explained. "At least I think that's what he means." Leon regarded her with a mixture between wary alertness and insecurity.

"Oh," D uttered softly and then a smile spread over his face. "But, my, Leon, that is wonderful!"

The human turned his attention back on the kami. "Is it?" he asked, still in that wary voice.

D smiled at him brightly. "Yes, of course! Now you see the shop as it is."

"Uh-huh." Leon didn't seem to be very delighted about that fact, but D was sure that he would just be fine once he'd gotten used to it.

Tetsu appeared from behind, coming from the front room, and stood, crossing his arms. "So, he's finally admitting we're more than just stupid animals?" he asked gruffly, voice not half as sharp as the words were.

Upon hearing his voice, Leon turned and relief flickered over his face. "Nope, I'm still seeing an ugly furball, sheep-tiger," he replied and grinned.

T-chan snorted. "Ha, just wait until you see me as I am! You're gonna praise my beauty!"

"Sure," Leon gave back and then turned to Honlon, still standing in the doorway, waiting. "Okay, so why do I just see you otherwise now?"

Shuko smiled. "Well, the transformation has to begin somewhere," she said.

Kanan broke in. "Ha! You're our father, that's why!" she said, obviously wanting to fight. But Leon just stared at her confused.

"Who's that?" he asked and Kanan screeched with anger.

"I am your child, you stupid human!" she raged.

D quickly stepped up behind her and covered her mouth with his hand. "Kanan, be quiet," he said and smiled at the human. "Since they share a body, they are also in one body in their human form," he said, but silently wondered that Leon hadn't thought about that on his own. Usually he wasn't slow at grasping such things. Chris hadn't been slow, either.

Well, but it had been a long day. He smiled at his lover affectionately and gently shushed Honlon out. "Let's go to bed, shall we?" he suggested, seeing that Leon wasn't quite able to deal with all this new information at once. "And tomorrow we shall take care of your apartment. Then we can start with the shop."

* * *

Leon didn't say anything about the matter the next morning, he just was pretty silent and thoughtful. Jill contributed it to a wild night and made a remark about it to D, who replied by smiling secretly. He wasn't going to tell Jill the secrets of his shop, even if she knew some of D's.

Dana had come along, too, of course. She kept everybody from working until Jill decided it was time for a break and took her to the bakery round the corner. D and Leon stayed back, the kami working in the former sitting room while Leon was busy in the kitchen. He itched to ask his lover about this new development, but a glance at Leon's tense face told him the human was still coming to terms with what had happened, so he let it be.

If the human would just accept it, how wonderful that would be... D could finally tell Leon all of his secrets, share his life with him like his species did...

He was fully engaged in imagining the new life waiting for them when Jill and Dana returned. She came stomping up the stairs, carrying her godchild. "She's getting way too heavy to be carried around all the time," she ached and sat the child down, who took off happily, running straight into the kitchen. A moment later they heard Leon's voice mixing with her small one. D smiled and continued to paint the wall white, covering the sings of the posters Leon had had on those walls. He felt a strange triumph at erasing those signs, even though it had been months since his lover had taken those down for Dana's sake.

"But you had a nice break, didn't you?" he asked, dipping the brush in the thick paint again. She nodded and grinned, taking up her own brush again.

"Yeah, we did. Actually, we got cake for free, the waitress was so charmed by Dana she gave it to her as a present. And she seemed really sad that Leon would move out. Said they'd miss him coming in every day, growling and getting the best cake available for that 'damned Chinese brat'."

D raised an eyebrow. "Leon called me a brat?" he asked, more amused than actually angered. Jill laughed softly. "Apparently, yes. But compared to the others things he's already called you, 'brat' is relatively nice."

"Which, sadly, is the truth," the young kami remarked and cast a glance into the kitchen. Leon had placed Dana on his shoulders and the girl was taking down food from one of the boards. He smiled again before turning back to working.

His thoughts strayed while he applied the white paint to the wall carefully. If anyone had told him he would one day stand in the flat of a human and help renovate it, he would never have believed him. But they didn't say for nothing that life had a way of surprising everyone. It had for sure surprised him, and the biggest surprise had always been and was still Leon. Who would now move into the pet shop for sure once the apartment was renovated. D's heart skipped a beat at the thought.

"Oh god, that paint really smells disgusting."

D turned and faced a very pale Jill. Worried, he laid down his brush and went over to her. She'd sat down on one of the small chairs Leon had left in here and was waving her hand in front of her face. D produced one of his hand fans out of his sleeve and offered it to her. "Should we open the window?" he inquired, intend on making Leon's friend feel better. She was right, the smell of the paint was disgusting.

"No, thanks, I just need a minute." Jill gratefully took the fan and fanned herself, breathing deeply. D went all the same and opened the window. Even the thick LA air was better than the smell of the paint. "Hell, I don't like the stuff, never did, but somehow this is even worse than usually."

Leon perked around the corner, Dana still perched on his shoulders. "Jill, what's the matter?" he asked and her face got slightly embarrassed.

"It's just the smell of that white paint. Hell, Leon, what did you buy? It's absolutely horrible."

Her friend looked confused. "Just got the usual stuff. The same we used to paint your old apartment. You having PMS or what?"

Both Jill and D glared at the blonde when Dana's blue-golden eyes widened. "What's PMS, Daddy?" she asked, eager to learn.

Leon blushed and cleared his throat. "A kind of sickness only women get, sweetie," he mumbled and Jill's glare got murderous. Dana looked distressed.

"Is Auntie Jill sick?" she wanted to know.

"No, Dana, I'm not. Don't listen to your daddy. It's not a sickness, it's normal," the woman snapped and got up decidedly. "Every once in a month it comes. But it's not really a sickness."

Her colleague grinned and sat the child down. "Well, but one could think it is by the way you behave every time," he teased and Jill raised her brush threateningly.

"Hold your tongue, Orcot, in case you don't want to get a nice paint shower," she threatened, a smirk on her lips.

"I'm just saying. Last time you couldn't even stand me drinking coffee in the office. And those mood swings, really, Jill… Or are you in your menopause yet? Might explain a lot…"

D snatched his daughter out of the way when Jill bolted over to Leon and chased her friend around the room with her brush, trying to get paint on his clothes. The young kami couldn't help but laugh. For some reason those two had been behaving like children since they'd started to clear out Leon's apartment. But he liked it. He liked seeing both of them once without the worried crease in their brow, careless and happy like small children.

"One should think he'd treat me better'n that!" Jill complained, having caught Leon in a corner and poking at him with the brush, the blonde barely evading her attacks. The paint dripped from the brush to the floor, and D would've objected had there not been paper covering it. And perhaps he wouldn't have objected even if not. In the past months, he'd started to take life lighter, too.

"After all the times I got his sad behind out of some bad situation, and rescued him from the chief's rage, and listened to his nonsense when he was drunk…"

Leon actually exploded with laughter although Jill had just managed to hit him with the brush and painted a great white streak right over his chest. "_My_ nonsense when I'm drunk?! You ever listened to the rubbish you're talking then?"

D chuckled, too, and shook his head, wondering if he should step in between and rescue his lover, then decided that he perhaps should, if only so that they could get on with the work. After all, there was still a lot to be done, and even though he didn't mind them playing, it made him somehow jealous to see Leon all this relaxed and joking around with his best friend.

In all the chaos of the renovation, they just forgot about that little incident. They went back to the shop afterwards to eat dinner, although Leon took his time to close the apartment and come to the shop, as D noticed. He supposed he shouldn't blame the human. But he felt irked all the same. It wasn't as if the revelation was such news for the human. He'd known before that the pets had another form. So what was the big deal with it now?

* * *

It wasn't before Leon stepped into the shop the next evening and stopped dead in his tracks that he realised there might be a greater problem than he'd thought. The blonde's gaze was more than confused as he looked around the parlour, although there wasn't anything worth staring at.

"Leon, what's the matter?" D asked quietly, approaching his lover from the side since he'd just been busy cleaning an incense pot.

He, too, stopped in confusion when the human jumped and attempted to defend himself. D felt torn between laughing and worrying, and settled for both in the end. "Well, darling, it's been a long time since I could scare you," he remarked with a smirk.

To his even greater surprise, Leon took the tease seriously. His eyes narrowed and he glared at the kami. "Cut it out, D!" he snapped. "I don't like you sneaking up on me, dammit, how many times have I already told you that?"

Dana piped up with "Dammit!" and made D's mood drop in less than a second. Irritated, he snapped back. "Oh, Detective, excuse me, please, for not wearing a cowbell around my neck when I approach you! Really, one should think you could mind your language around Dana! Do you want her to grow up swearing and cursing?"

For a moment they glared at each other, but a little sound made them both look down at the child. Dana was tugging at D's cheongsam as well as Leon's jeans. "Daddy, why are you angry?" she asked timidly.

D still felt wound up, but he knew that arguing with Leon now would upset Dana to the point that she wouldn't get to sleep later. So instead he sighed and searched Leon's gaze. "We're not fighting, Dana," he replied. "I'm sure your father was just a little bit surprised. After all, I move very quietly." He didn't inquire why Leon hadn't been on his guard in the first place. He had looked downright spooked for a moment there in the door.

The human sighed as well and gave in, too, although he looked like he'd rather continue the fight. "I just came by to say that I can't be around for dinner today," he replied grumpily. D's mood instantly dropped again.

"Why not?" he exclaimed, not bothering to hide his dismay. It made Leon wrinkle his brow.

"'Cause, funny, the chief said we've got work to do tonight!" he snapped. "D'you think I wouldn't rather be here with you and Dana instead of hanging around some drug dealer's hiding place?"

The worry got the better of D. "Is it going to be dangerous?" he asked, looking at his lover intently. Leon calmed down hearing the honest worry in his voice. He smiled reassuringly.

"Not a bit. After all, Jill's the one responsible for this, and you know her. She'll get us all home safe," he soothed.

D nodded and sighed. "Well then, I assume that it's your duty," he said. "Be careful, please, Leon. Don't do anything rash."

He chose to ignore Leon rolling his eyes and waited until he'd said goodnight to Dana before he stole a quick kiss from the blonde's lips. Standing in the door, he looked after him walking through Chinatown, greeting various neighbours in passing. Not three months ago, he'd stood at the door feeling his heart break when Leon walked out each evening.

Well, these times were past. He was sure it would be alright soon. And he'd try to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him to go after him and make sure that Leon would be alright.


	4. Changes Ahead

**Changes ahead**

Leon didn't bother to show up in the shop after they were done with the night's work. It was already so early that he just had the time left to grab something to eat and get on with day-shift. D sounded slightly miffed when he called to let him know, but the blonde chose to ignore that. Well, D had known what awaited him when he'd hooked up with Leon. After all, he'd known Leon for two years before.

So he just slumped down in his chair and started doing his report, glancing at the clock every now and then. Jill had been pretty tired yesterday, too, and she'd finally left on order of the chief in the early morning when she fell asleep in the car. Which was also the reason why Leon hadn't been able to go to the shop for breakfast, since he got the rest of Jill's shift.

He looked up in surprise when Jill finally entered their cubicle, and glanced at the clock.

"Wow, that's gotta be a first!" he remarked. "Can't remember you being late, ever."

She sent him a glance that was meant to be reprimanding, but failed due to the fact that she barely got her eyes open. "That's not all that surprising, considering that you're usually so late that you wouldn't notice me being late in the first place," she grumbled and sat down at her desk, too. He grinned at her, his humour already better by her arrival.

"You're gonna have lot of fun in New York if you continue to be like this," he teased and elicited another growl out of his friend. "No, really! I hope I'll be getting some exchange for you that's at least awake at work."

The Rubik's cube was misused as a throwing thing another time. But Leon caught it in time. "Oh, c'mon! You should be happy, we finally have something in that case! I bet we can identify Big Boss soon," he tried to cheer her up, but it wouldn't work right. Jill just sighed and closed her eyes again, massaging her head.

"Yeah. Of course. We've been onto this case for months now, Leon, and we still haven't got any clue as to who's behind it! And I'll be off soon enough and have to leave it up to you."

"Hey now, what's that supposed to mean?" the blonde protested. "You'll just be in New York for training, you're not going to drop off the face of the earth. And I managed to bust Gavin McGallen and Kevin Carter."

She smirked a surprisingly D-like smirk and he growled. "Get to work. Want coffee?" Jill shook her head and turned to her computer, but Leon still had the feeling that something wasn't okay with her. He kept shooting her glances while they worked in silence and noticed how her hand strayed to her back every now and then to rub it, biting her lip.

Finally he swivelled his chair around. "Jill, are you sure you're alright? You look pretty pale to me," he said, brow wrinkled. She looked up, wanting to answer, but instead, she clapped a hand over her mouth and choked.

The blonde reacted instinctively. He shot up and carefully guided Jill to the nearest toilet, thankful that right at the moment the precinct was pretty empty. At the door, she unclasped her hand and said thickly, "Thanks, Leon, I'll be fine now."

But he wouldn't hear that. "No way I'm leaving you," he said firmly and pushed the next door open.

Jill was on her knees in a matter of seconds, choking as if she wanted to spit out her stomach. The blonde busied himself with holding her hair out of harm's way. Someone entered and went into another stall after listening for a moment. But Jill was already done. She swayed and so Leon drew her against him. "Take it slow," he murmured, seeing her ashen face and wide eyes. "You feel okay again?"

She shook her head and moaned. "Oh god! I knew I shouldn't have taken the chicken in the cantina! I haven't been this sick since we went into that cannibal's house!"

Leon laughed softly. "C'mon, perhaps you'd better get home," he said and they left the cabin just in time to meet Barf in front of the mirror. She stared at them.

"I guess the reason for you being here is Jill being sick, right?" she said and looked at the other woman critically. "Otherwise I'd feel inclined to tell you that this is the ladies' room."

Jill managed a weak grin while Leon rolled his eyes and snorted. "As if I'd come in here of my own free will. No thanks. Got better things to do than listen to you lot gossiping."

"It's also called 'socialising'," his friend admonished and he noticed, satisfied, that her cheeks were slowly growing brighter again. But she was pretty pale still.

The blonde put an arm around her shoulder. "C'mon, Jill, I'll give you a ride home. No use in you staying here," he said.

"I'm never ever gonna eat chicken again!" Jill mumbled, but followed him without protest. When Leon dropped her off at her apartment, she was already dozing off again, although she lived barely ten minutes from the precinct. He shook her shoulder gently and she jerked up, looking around confused.

"Are we there yet?" she asked and blinked a few times. Leon watched her worriedly.

"You sure you didn't catch something?" he suggested. "It's not like you to be sick and drowsy at all."

She waved it off impatiently and got out of the car, bending back to say goodbye. "I'm fine, Leon. Just a little overworked, that's all."

She bit her lip and wanted to say something else, but wasn't sure if she should continue. The blonde looked at her. "Everything okay with Alex and you?" he inquired carefully, knowing that the subject was still touchy.

Jill sighed deeply and mussed her hair by pulling at her braid. "Dunno, to be honest," she confessed. "I mean, we're getting along… And the chief hasn't said more about the matter..."

"But getting along isn't quite what you want," Leon concluded and she sighed again.

"No, not really. And I don't even know if I want to get along with Alex. I mean, it was – I don't know what got into me that evening. I guess I just wanted to have someone to cuddle or something." To Leon's great surprise, she started to look tearful, and a bit angry, probably because she knew Alex was nothing worth crying over. "Anyway, let's talk about that some other time, 'kay? I'm beat."

"Sure," he replied and smiled reassuringly. "If you feel like, just come and drop by the shop. You know you're always welcome there." She smiled back and waved before disappearing into her apartment complex while Leon drove back to the precinct and thought about his last words. Sure, Jill _was_ always welcome at the shop, D'd said so himself. But it felt weird for Leon to tell his best friend that she was welcome at a place that didn't belong to him.

The shop felt weird. And since he'd started living there, it became weirder every day. Leon didn't know if he liked that.

He wrinkled his brow and tried to push the thoughts out of his mind. Or better, the pictures. The really, really strange pictures of pets that weren't human-shaped, but neither pet-shaped. Honlon was a girl, alright, he'd worked that out by now. But the others were just – strange. He couldn't grasp either form anymore.

Leon tried to tell himself that he wasn't weirded out by that, but deep down, he knew that if that wouldn't get better anytime soon, he _was _going to freak out.

* * *

D was surprised, when, the next day, the door was opened to admit Leon and Jill. His gaze wavered between them and he sat down the cup he was just holding. "Leon, what is the matter?" he inquired.

Jill pressed a hand to her mouth and his lover quickly steered her past him to the back of the shop. "Got suddenly sick out there. Just taking care of her!" he called back to the kami and vanished, leaving him in the front room, confused.

At first he considered following them, but then he decided against it and sat down again, treating one of the cats who'd wounded her paw on something. After some ten minutes, Leon came back, carefully guiding Jill and obviously in a hurry. "Here, just stay here for a while, 'kay? D, I've gotta go, we're still on duty," he said hastily and was already gone again.

D and Jill exchanged an amused glance. "He is very stressed of late," D remarked lightly and she chuckled.

"Ya, well, no surprise there. You know we're working on that drug-dealing case... it's getting hot." She reddened. "Dammit, I shouldn't have gotten sick! If he lost the guy now, we're in trouble."

"Have you eaten something wrong?" the kami inquired politely and poured her a cup of tea.

Jill shook her head. "Nope, least I don't think so. It's so damn strange – I'm so sick lately, usually around midday, and I'm so tired when I get up even when I had eight hours of sleep... I only hope that's not something bad."

"Have you been to a doctor, Miss Jill?"

Dana came running from the back of the shop and D helped her climb onto his lap absent-mindedly. The girl wrapped her arms around his throat and hid her head in his shoulder. "What is it, darling? Did you tease Honlon again?"

Dana shook her head, but D knew he'd probably hit home. His daughter was slowly beginning to grasp the concept of lying. Not that he encouraged it. Now he sighed. That would have to wait until later, until Jill was gone again.

"Not yet. It's only a week, and it's not like I'm feeling ill, you know. I'm just – sick, for no real reason. And tired." Jill took a sip of the cup, her face still pale and a little embarrassed. "Sorry for getting on your nerves with that..."

The young kami smiled. "Oh, please, Miss Jill, I do not mind. As you can see, the shop is empty and you are not keeping me from work."

The smile was returned gratefully. "I really hate it, you know. Like I had caught a stomach flu, but no fever, nothing whatsoever. Can't stand the smell of coffee anymore, or of that paint, or of the food in our caf., but..." She groaned and clasped her stomach. "There you go, again! Sorry!"

D waited patiently until she would return to the front. His mind was racing. It was just a suspicion, just a feeling... did he want to scare Leon's friend with it or did he want to keep it to himself until there were more clues?

Dana climbed down from his lap, obviously soothed by her father's presence, and went to her corner. D smiled as he watched her.

Then Jill came back, looking terrible, and he turned his attention to her. She took a deep gulp of tea and almost slammed the cup down on its saucer. "Dammit, I'm fed up with it! What's up with me?!" she raged and unwillingly made the decision for D.

"Miss Jill, have you considered the possibility of a pregnancy?" D asked softly.

The woman paled even further. "Oh god," she said quietly. "Oh my god."

The kami patted her hand in sympathy. "It can't be," Jill said, still stunned. "I mean, I got my monthlies every month, and I'm taking the pill, and…" She breathed deeply. "Fuck."

"You would know for sure if you made a test," D said and followed Dana with his eyes. For some reason unbeknownst to D the girl was dragging her plushies through the shop. He felt reminded of his own realisation and obliged to help Leon's friend if she was facing the same problems now he'd had to face three years ago.

"But what am I going to do if I am?" Jill looked positively horrified. "I mean, Alex would be the father! And he's not only my insubordinate, but also – well, just Alex!" D patted her hand again and she sent him a weak glance. "I bet Leon told you about Alex, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," D asserted. "But surely he will take his responsibility if you should be pregnant. Right now, it is just a possibility. You could as well just have caught stomach flu. You should be sure first before you do something."

"Yeah, you're right." Jill sighed deeply. "Oh, man. Just what I needed. I mean, I wanted to have kids. But not exactly with Alex. And not now."

D bit back a rather nasty comment about children never coming at the right time and instead stood. "I know a doctor here in Chinatown. He's just around the corner. Shall I call him? Then you can be sure," he offered. Jill nodded thankfully and stared at D's daughter while he called Doctor Kudo. Then he stepped up to the woman again. "He said if you're free, you can come over right now," he said quietly. "Shall I call Leon to accompany you?"

"Oh no, please not! I couldn't stand his comments now." Jill turned her grey eyes up to him. She hesitated. "I know we're not quite friends, but – you know how it feels. Would you come with me?" she pleaded. A warm rush pulsed through D's veins.

"If you wish me to accompany you, I shall do so, Miss Jill," he consented and fetched his cloak. Dana stopped playing and looked at both adults with wide eyes. "Wanna come too!" she cried.

D sighed and looked at Jill. The woman managed a weak smile. "Course she can come, too. Not that it matters. I've gotta tell Leon anyway sooner or later," she murmured. So D took his daughter up, tucking her under his cloak. She didn't need a jacket for such a short distance. Anyway, it was warm outside today. Not that it ever really got cold in LA. D kind of missed that. He liked winter. But, well, he could always go into one of the rooms. Winter came in some rooms of the shop, even if it stayed warm outside.

The doctor welcomed them friendly and had D sit in his waiting room while he took Jill away. The young kami sat there and looked around. He'd never been to a gynaecological doctor. The thought almost made him chuckle while he eyed the magazines on the table, all showing happy, pretty young mothers with sweet little babies. Another thought crossed his mind and he leaned back, watching Dana with the toys in one corner. Giving birth had become so different in the human world. It suddenly wasn't something natural anymore, but a real big thing, something couples had to think about for months. They took so many things into consideration now.

What had become of the simplicity with which humans reproduced? Why had giving birth become such an event, when barely two hundred years ago it had been commonplace for a woman to give birth to a child nearly every year, and when in some parts of the world it still was?

His species, of course, was different there also...

D again watched his daughter. Children did not come as easy to them as they came to humans. It was one of the reasons why he'd been so completely taken aback when he found out that he was pregnant. For them, children had always been cherished gifts, but of course, they were also the guarantee that their race was not going to be extinct. Somehow the humans had, although unknowingly, adapted their opinion towards the small ones... how strange it was to think that they had actually learned something.

Or had they learned anything at all? Was it not that most got children so that they could use them as a boost for their own self-esteem?

D sighed; the human world was complicated. For some parts of the population, getting children was something you just did, because their parents and grandparents had also done so. Others thought about it for a long time. Others again waited until it was too late to then use medicine to get children at the age of sixty or more. He felt revulsion pulse through his veins at the absurdity of their doings and quickly tried to suppress it.

Then he remembered what Leon had said about the woman back then, the one pregnant with a dead king's child and allowed himself to feel that revulsion with relief. Having a human lover was difficult, too. He always had to think about what Leon's opinion on a special matter was in order not to slight him.

Fortunately, Jill came out right that moment and saved him from further pondering on that matter. He rose hastily and collected Dana from the children's corner. The doctor smiled at him and they exchanged some polite phrases, while Jill just stared at the wall and blinked angrily from time to time. D could guess pretty well what that meant, and he hastened to cut the niceties short. She would surely want to be alone now. Or at least not here.

Dana had also noticed that her favourite human woman was depressed. She reached over from D's arms and petted Jill's hair. "Auntie Jill's sad," she announced, sounding sad herself.

Jill tried to smile, but ended up grimacing. "Yeah, a little bit. Don't worry 'bout that, Dana," she replied quietly and then saw D's look. "Yeah. Of course. Fourth month."

She wanted to say something else, but they had been spotted by Mrs. Chang, who bustled over to them excitedly. "Oh, Count D!" she called and immediately proceeded to give Dana sweets. The kami smiled and quickly took the sweets from his daughter. "Have you heard about the nephew of Mr. Chan's?" the woman chatted on. D shook his head.

"I am afraid I've been too busy lately to pay much attention to the events in Chinatown," he said firmly. "Thank you very much for the sweets. If you would excuse us now, please, we're in kind of a hurry..."

The woman's plump face showed disappointment. She punctuated it with a deep sigh. "Well, of course I would not want to keep you from your chores," she replied politely. D smiled again and quickly steered Jill away, who was looking at the woman with interest.

"Say, is she the one Leon hates so much?" she asked, momentarily distracted. D blinked at her. "That Shao woman," Jill added, grinning. "You should've heard him going on about her. Seems he met her one or two weeks ago. And it seems she made pretty clear what she thinks of him moving into the pet shop."

D slowly let the air out between his teeth. "Mrs. Shao isn't able to keep her opinions to herself. And I am afraid she has a rather nasty attitude towards the dear detective. Not that her opinion of anyone else would be much better, mind you."

Jill chuckled. "No shit." Then she fell silent again and remained such until they were back at the pet shop. There she accepted his invitation for tea and took Dana from him while he went to the kitchen.

D silently prepared another tea, making an extra pot for Jill. The same kind of tea grandfather had made for him to keep the nausea in check. Hers wasn't as bad as his had been back then, but right at the moment, Jill really didn't need to feel sick on top of this whole mess.

When he came out of the kitchen, she'd curled up on his sofa and was staring at Dana playing in the corner. She took the cup D was offering her absent-mindedly, and he sat, not wanting to disturb her. Dana had placed a big dark blue cloth on the floor, pretending it was the ocean into which she'd just thrown Kitty. As far as D could make out what she was muttering, Jilly was coming to Kitty's rescue, accompanied by Lucky, although he had problems with the water, it was just too warm for him. D almost smiled. _Baywatch_ staged by animals. He would have to tell Leon when his lover came home. And then try to keep him from asking who'd been Pamela Anderson.

Jill sighed softly and he turned his attention to her. The woman was playing idly with her cup, staring into its depths. Finally she took a sip and shuddered. "It doesn't taste good, but at least it takes care of the nausea," D said quietly and got a thankful smile in return.

"Leon's gonna kill Alex," she said.

"Probably," D agreed.

She sighed. "Yeah, but hell, what can he do 'bout it? I mean, it's not as if we didn't prevent… I don't know what went wrong…"

Suddenly D felt the strong urge to embrace Jill and tell her that at least he would be there for her if she needed help. And surely Leon, too, once he got over his first shock.

"I don't know what to do," the woman continued silently, staring into her cup. "The doctor said it's nearly too late for an abortion. If I want one, I've gotta do it soon. Next week, at the most. But how can someone make such a decision in less than a week?"

To his surprise, D was kind of shocked. He'd not anticipated that Jill would consider abortion. He'd not considered it, although grandfather had suggested it several times and would probably have been happier had he listened to him and gotten rid of Dana. But even if he hadn't wanted to get pregnant, D couldn't kill the child. He just couldn't kill Leon's child, unwanted or not.

Now he had to remind himself that this case was completely different to his back then. First, Jill was not in love with Alex Donovan, not even in denial about it. And second, they actually had a relationship, although it was not a good one.

"How am I gonna tell Alex that?" Jill's voice sounded close to crying. D's heart swelled with pity, and he abandoned his usual habit of not touching humans if possible, went to sit beside Jill and placed an arm around her shoulders like he'd seen Leon do when she was depressed. The woman hesitated for a moment, but then rested her head on his shoulder and wiped away a few wet drops.

"We both knew this wasn't the non plus ultra. We agreed on just having some fun, and it's already way too serious with everybody in the precinct knowing about us. We never wanted it to wind up like that. I can't believe I've been so stupid."

Some more tears fell and Jill rubbed her cheeks until they were red. "Shit. He's gonna break up with me. Not that it actually would be a loss, or unexpected, it's been coming for weeks, but still…"

"Break up with him first," D suggested and she smiled up at him.

"Yeah, would be best, wouldn't it? But that's kinda mean also. I mean, I can't just go and tell him that I'm pregnant and he's gonna pay for the kid and by the way, I'm breaking up with him. Can I?"

D pressed her hand. "I think you can and you should. Or are you afraid of being alone with the child?"

Jill laughed bitterly. "No, surely not. If it was anyone but Alex, perhaps I would rethink that decision, but truth be told, he's not quite Leon. He's not gonna turn into a good father once he gets to know about his child. If it –" She bit her lip and blushed. "Sorry."

"For what?" D inquired softly. "That you're sad about that fact? That you wish he would be more like Leon?"

The blonde woman blushed even more, but nodded hesitantly. "It sounds so sick, that I'm wishing Leon would be the dad," she confessed and the young kami patted her shoulder. "And it's not that I want to have kids with Leon, god, no. I'd have to sleep with him beforehand!"

D chuckled. "It is quite an experience, Miss Jill," he said, feeling like she needed something silly now, and triumphed when the comment made her snort and look less like crying any second.

"Yeah, I believe that. But that doesn't mean I wanna try it. Much as I love the guy, I'd rather sleep with you."

As soon as the words were out, Jill blushed furiously and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, dammit!" she mumbled. "I – that's not to mean that I'm in love with you or something – I just – sorry. Didn't mean to say that."

The young kami chuckled and patted her shoulder again. "I do not mind you saying such," he reassured her, pondering for a moment that Leon seemed to rub off on him in that respect, too.

"Really not?" Jill asked carefully, gazing at him intently.

D shook his head. "No. I shall regard it as a compliment." He winked at her and saw to his satisfaction that she relaxed again.

"I'm not afraid of being a single mom. I can handle that, I think," she said, gazing now at Dana again. "I could probably move back to my family, even though I wouldn't particularly like that… My mom's an angel, but I'd have to switch to the PD in my hometown. I didn't want to stay there, and I don't like to have to go back. But I could do that."

"There are other ways to ensure the child is seen to," D said, an idea flitting through his mind. "I have done so with Dana when she was a baby."

"But I don't have a bunch of pets who are able to look after a baby in the way yours can," Jill replied with a half-smile. "Course there're other ways. That's just plan B." She sighed and looked truly troubled. "If I keep it, of course," she murmured and again curled up.

D started stroking her back gently, offering as much comfort as he could to this woman. Pon-chan, who'd followed their conversation attentively, climbed up onto the sofa and nudged her until she smiled and cuddled the raccoon.

"You know, I always said a woman's got a right to decide herself what's inside her body and what not. I had a few arguments with my mom about abortion when I was younger and a friend of mine had one. It's always so easy to talk about it – that you can just go and get rid of that little bunch of cells and have no bad conscience, 'cause, after all, it's not a real human yet. But how can you know that it isn't? It's not able to talk. When does a foetus become a real human?"

D started to say something and bit his lip. This was not going to help Jill to make her decision. He, though, being more able to feel such subtle differences than humans, had known when Dana had become a real being. But even before he couldn't bring himself to abort her. The potential to become a being was there from the moment sperm and egg melded. D respected nature too much to mess with it, and he knew that if the child hadn't been Leon's, grandfather would never have suggested abortion either. The need to protect life was enrooted too deeply in their very being, only excluding humans. However, at least in D's case, some humans had become included again.

"You know when Leon will come home from his shift?" Jill asked quietly, placing her cup on the table.

"He should be here by seven," D answered, prying himself loose of his thoughts. "You are welcome to stay here until he arrives, Miss Jill."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, but I think I'm gonna take a walk in the park and figure out how to tell him. And everything else." Her hand shyly touched D's. "Thanks for listening."

D took the hand and squeezed it gently. "You are welcome, Miss Jill. Anytime you need to talk," he said, and for the first time since he'd started dealing with humans, he meant the words from his heart.


	5. Telling the News

**Telling the news**

Jill arrived at the shop only five minutes before Leon came home. He stopped in the door, looking surprised and worried at seeing his best friend still on the sofa, pale and obviously strained. D quickly stood and scooped Dana up from the floor. "Welcome home, Leon," he said softly and smiled. Jill moved uneasily.

The blonde stepped further inside, his gaze wandering between his lover and friend. "What's the matter?" he demanded to know, his brow furrowing even more. "Something's up, I know it. What is it?"

D sent an apologetic glance at the woman and she tried to smile. "I think it would be best if I left you two alone," he suggested and could see Leon's worry increasing thrice.

"Jill, are you okay? You aren't really sick, are you? You don't have cancer or something like that, do you?"

"No!" she cried out, surprised at first and then took a deep breath. "Yeah, if you don't mind, I'd like to tell him in private," she said, looking pained. D pressed her shoulder and went to the back, beckoning to the pets to follow him, which they reluctantly did, sending glances at Leon. The kami only saw him slumping down on a chair before he closed the door to the kitchen and went about preparing dinner with his daughter. Dana was unusually quiet and seemed to be worried, too.

"Bàbà, is Auntie Jill sick?" she finally asked with a tiny voice. D smiled and turned to her, one ear to the parlour and the soft murmur from there.

"No, darling, Miss Jill isn't sick. She's going to have a baby," he answered softly. Dana extended her arms, begging to be embraced, and D complied willingly, hugging his child tight.

"Why did we go out?" she inquired.

The young kami thought about the best answer to that when Leon's roar made everyone jump. "THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE! I'm gonna KILL him!" he screamed, and a chair fell over. D sighed softly. Well, that reaction was to be expected. Leon was protective of the ones he loved, and he loved Jill very much.

Now the woman spoke again, quietly, and Leon silenced in order to listen to her. D felt the fury radiate into the kitchen and knew it was going to take a lot of diplomacy to keep his lover inside the shop and from bashing in Alex' head.

"Bàbà, why is Daddy so angry?" Dana was tugging at his sleeve. The young kami hugged her tighter and suppressed a shudder. He would not want to be in Alex' shoes when he met Leon the next time.

"Miss Jill wants to talk to Leon alone," he explained silently to his child. "He's her best friend, Dana. She needs his advice and help. We others shouldn't be around. It's a private conversation."

"But you like Auntie Jill too," she objected, blue-golden eyes wide.

"But I'm not her best friend. That's your daddy," D replied and carried her over to place her in her baby chair. "You will understand one day, Dana. Sometimes you have to talk to someone else alone, and just to that person."

She mulled the thought over, face tight with concentration. "You talk to Daddy alone a lot," she voiced then and D chuckled.

"Yes, I do," he said and kissed her on the forehead. "And now please take your serviette, darling. As soon as Leon's calmed down a bit we're going to eat dinner."

She did as she was told and got distracted by Pon-chan climbing onto Leon's chair and talking to her. Her father stepped up to the door and listened for a moment before opening it quietly. Leon was staring at Jill who in turn was curled up on the sofa, looking by all means close to tears.

"You can say what you want, I'm still gonna kill him," the blonde was just saying.

She shook her head tiredly. "Leon, for what? It's not as if he'd raped me, or even taken advantage. We've been sleeping with each other for a few months."

He looked outright furious. "But he's treating you like shit!" he protested, glaring at the teapot as if it was its fault. "You know he's not gonna do anything if you get the kid! He's gonna pay, but nothing else!"

"We can't be sure of that, Leon," Jill tried to argue, but her friend barely snorted.

"Yeah, don't even start talking yourself into that. You haven't been drinking with him half as many times as I have. He's never going to take responsibility, not anytime soon, and you know that, too. There's a reason why the chief never lets him do a case all alone and always sends Liza along."

"I _know_!" Jill snapped and wiped away a tear impatiently. "But that's not gonna change anything! It's my baby also, and it's me who's got to make a decision! So would you please make this easier and help me make it, for god's sake?!"

Leon looked startled and started to object, but D decided that now was the time to interject. He cleared his throat delicately and stepped inside. "Miss Jill, would you care for dinner? Or at least some tea?" he asked politely. "I think it would do you well."

Leon's mouth closed with an almost audible snap. He stood up and offered a hand to Jill gruffly. "Yeah, let's grab dinner. Then we can talk. When Dana's in bed," he said curtly. Jill looked relieved. For the time being.

* * *

Like D had thought, dinner made Leon cool down enough to have a serious talk with Jill afterwards. He walked her home and then returned, deep in thought, so D prepared a bath for him and left him alone when Dana called for him.

Leon stared at the water for some moments, then turned his head up to look at the ceiling instead. He sighed deeply and rubbed his head. Great. So his best friend was going to have a baby with one of the most irresponsible guys he knew. Why in hell had Jill acted so stupidly? She was bright, real clever, she deserved better than – Alex. Because he was pretty sure Jill would keep the baby. He knew how much Jill wanted to have children, and chances were that she'd not find someone to have any with, pessimistic as it sounded. But it was just a fact. She was on the force, she didn't exactly have a quiet life, so she'd need someone to take care of the kid in her place. There weren't many guys willing to put up with that.

Leon sighed again as he glumly imagined the chief's reaction when Jill would tell him. One week, she'd said. One week to make her decision. The NY training was out of the question, even if she wouldn't keep the kid. Who'd be going in her place?

He almost smacked his head when a treacherous part of his brain whispered that it would be a good chance to get away for a while. To see Chris, and to get more money, and – and to avoid having to deal with strange pets for the time being... just until he'd gotten used to them being strange and shape-shifting...

Leon managed to abandon those thoughts by slipping down under the water. For a moment he thought about Dana, who did this, too, when she was having her bath, and chuckled underwater, forming bubbles with his mouth.

Then he broke through the surface again and leaned back. Well, he had to give D that the pet shop was much more luxurious than any apartment Leon could ever have rented was...

He had nearly dozed off when he heard someone giggle from the door. It sounded like the cats, so he didn't bother opening his eyes. "You sure you wanna get wet?" he asked lazily and splashed around with one hand.

"Pretty sure," one of them replied. Leon smiled. As long as his eyes were closed...

A body splashed into the water next to him. And it definitely wasn't the body of a cat.

Leon was sure he'd never gotten out of any tub that quickly. "GET OUTTA HERE!" he screamed, his voice overturning with panic and shock as he stared at the bunch of young, almost naked women in front of him. They just giggled and stared at him with their strange, slitted eyes.

"I told you he can see us now!" one said triumphantly.

"Isn't it cute?" another one cooed. "One should think he'd be happier about that little surprise. After all, he liked us back when he was drunk, too!"

"Get out!" Leon was starting to get frantic. He didn't even dare imagine what D would do if he caught him in here, like this, with those... cat-girls.

Much to his relief, they trailed out one after one, but not before they'd scrutinised him very thoroughly, making Leon feel like a cow on the market.

Only when the last one had left the bathroom did he relax again and sank down on the rim of the tub. Resting his head in his hands, he groaned. Dammit, was he going to see every pet in its other form from now on?

* * *

He found out soon enough, when he was sitting on the bed and the door opened to admit a little girl, about six years old, with blonde curly hair. She immediately proceeded to hop into his lap. "Leon, T-chan's being mean to me!" she complained, completely unaware that the human had frozen in shock.

Her friend burst through the door only a second later. "I'm still right!" he snorted. "And you're just spoiled, just like Dana! What's it with you two that everyone keeps on spoiling you?!"

He, too, looked at the human, who hadn't moved one bit.

Tetsu was quicker than Pon-chan. Hastily he took a step back. "Freak!" he said. "Pon, come down there."

The raccoon looked at him in confusion. "No! You're just going to tease me again then!"

"I'm telling you, I'm not. I promise. Now come down and let Leon be."

Perhaps it was the tone of his voice that told her something was wrong, or it could've been the lack of the caressing hand in her fur. In any case, she looked up to meet Leon's wide blue eyes which were as spooked as they could ever get.

"Leon?" she inquired carefully and touched his face with her paw. But to her surprise, he flinched and drew away. Her eyes filled with tears. "What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?"

Tetsu stalked over and freed the human off the pet. "No, silly, but he started to see you!" he gritted through his teeth. "What would you think if someone you've never seen just jumped into your lap?"

Leon still didn't move; he just looked at them from wide eyes. Tetsu carefully withdrew, taking his friend with him. "We'll be gone," he announced and then looked into the corridor. "And, uh, we'll send the Count round. Night."

* * *

D arrived only five minutes later, alarmed by the reaction of his lover. But when he stepped into their bedroom, he found everything dark and quiet. "Leon?" he asked carefully, making his way to the bed. "Leon, are you alright?"

"God, can't you ever leave a guy be?" came the grumpy reply. "I'm tired. I wanna sleep."

D stopped, confused. Well, of course he'd had a shock, at least he assumed that he'd had a shock; but after all, he knew Tetsu's and Pon-chan's other forms from before...

"Leon, you will get used to seeing them like this," he tried to soothe his lover.

"D, just – shut up, okay? I don't want to talk about it. Just get into bed and be quiet." Leon sounded truly freaked. So D did what the human told him and slipped into bed beside him. He wasn't sure if he should reach for Leon, and before he could decide on what to do, the human had turned his back to him and gone to sleep.

Perhaps he should start worrying about those developments.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know, I haven't said much until now, not about the story or the reviews. I am sorry for that, but time's been short lately and I thought you'd rather have a new chapter up at all than wait just so I can add my two cents to what I've written. But now that I do have that opportunity, I want to thank everybody who's still with this series despite the fact that it's so long already and will get longer still. I really, really appreciate that, and special thanks to my review writers for letting me know this story isn't forgotten. I hope I'll be able to fulfil your expectations, and if you want to tell me anything, don't hesitate to write it.

Take care everbody, Enaty :-)


	6. Hello Goodbye

**Hello goodbye**

Leon seemed to come to terms with the news slowly. He startled pretty often whenever a pet came into a room, he still had the spooked look on his face, but as far as D could discern, he was making an effort to adapt. He appreciated that, even if he wished Leon would stop shuffling away whenever Pon-chan started to crawl into his lap. But on the other hand, it was probably weird for Leon not to caress a raccoon anymore, but a small girl.

Leon's uneasiness was contagious. D felt himself getting restless, too. Unpleasant worries plagued him, even more than before Leon had moved to the shop. The only good news were that Jill decided to keep her baby and broke up with Alex immediately after she'd made her decision. That eased Leon's mind as well as D's, since he'd been present when she told Alex the news and was very satisfied with both the fact that she'd done it and the way she'd done it. And of course, he'd promised his friend help with her baby.

D sighed as he prepared another pot of tea and looked at the human for a moment. He didn't mind Leon promising such, he'd help Jill as good as possible as well, he just wondered how they were going to do this. Now that Jill was officially going to be a mother, someone else had to take over her cases, and he had a good hunch that it would be Leon. And he couldn't exactly say that he looked forward to the human spending even more time in the precinct. Although of course he knew perfectly well that his job meant a lot to Leon.

D sat down and glanced at his lover. Leon was still staring into his teacup, obviously deep in thought. Quickly the kami went through the cases Leon was working on at the moment, but found that none of them justified the strange mood he'd been in the last few days. Nor did Jill's pregnancy. Maybe the changes Leon himself had undergone were to blame, but he wouldn't know if he didn't ask.

So he did. "Leon, tell me, is everything alright?" he inquired, intent on finding out what was bothering his lion.

The blonde took a deep breath and looked up at him, blue eyes earnest. "Could we talk, D?"

The young kami froze. Visions of Leon telling him he'd gotten fed up with him, breaking up with him flitted through his mind. "Yes, of course," he answered and prepared as good as he knew, summing up arguments why there was no reason for breaking up. The panic was so strong he couldn't even wonder why he was assuming that Leon wished to break up with him.

But it turned out that Leon wasn't even thinking about that particular theme. "The chief called me into his office today," he started hesitantly. "He wants me to do further training. Usually Jill would've been the one to do it, but she's pregnant, and well, it's pretty hard and all. She can't do it during her pregnancy. Plus, it takes quite long."

Incredibly relieved D took a sip of his own tea. The panic subsided as quickly as it had come. He preferred not to question it at all. "But that's nothing to worry about, is it?" he inquired. "Would this mean a promotion for you?"

"Yeah. More money, more weekends off." Leon grinned lopsidedly.

"Then what's the problem?" D smiled at his lover warmly, but the next words made the smile vanish as if it had never been there.

"It's in New York."

The words hovered in the air. D set his cup down. Leon didn't look at him while he continued. "I'd be away for about four months. Till February."

The kami sat very still. "Do you want to do it, Detective?" he inquired, unwillingly falling back into the more formal approach.

The blonde hunched his shoulders, but nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd really like to do it. I mean, it's just four months, and I could be here on the weekends. Flying doesn't take that long. And then there's Christmas in between, too… I could live at my aunt's and spend some time with Chris. And I'd call every evening…"

His voice trailed off. "You'll break the cup," he pointed out. D blushed and loosened his iron grip on the delicate China.

"If you want to do it, then do it," he said firmly. "It's a great chance for you. Dana and I will manage without you for barely half a year."

He wondered if Leon was thinking, "We've managed far longer without you already." right now, too, and cursed himself for the unfortunate wording.

Leon's blue eyes searched his face. "You don't want me to go," he observed matter-of-factly. The kami took a deep breath and told himself not to be selfish. Just because _he_ wanted to hold Leon in the shop didn't mean the human actually had to stay all the time. In fact, D knew very well how lucky he was that the blonde had never protested the new strings in his life.

So he put a smile on his face and lied. "I am just concerned for Dana, Leon. We will have to explain it to her carefully. I do not want her to get any more nightmares like at the beginning."

His lover looked relieved and grateful. "You're really okay with it?" he asked, though. D said yes without thinking too much about it. He didn't want to think about it. There was nothing to think about. It was just further training, and only four months. Nothing to worry about at all.

* * *

By the time Leon had to fly up to New York barely two weeks later, D had forgotten about his bad foreboding. It almost seemed that from the moment on Leon got D's permission to go to New York, he started lighting up again. He was still careful with the pets, careful enough that Jill wondered about it when she visited (which she did a lot), but D was able to give some explanation that satisfied her. He still wasn't too happy about Leon leaving the shop again so soon after he'd moved in, but as contaminating as the human's depression had been, as contagious was his good mood.

And even D could not hold a grudge anymore when Leon called Chris and made sure he could stay at his aunt's. The boy was practically overjoyed, although he told D he'd like it much better if he and Dana would come along, too. But since he couldn't leave Los Angeles again in the same manner without raising questions, they instead invited Chris over for the weekend before Leon's departure. The kami only regretted that two days only had 48 hours when they were standing at the airport Sunday afternoon, taking their goodbyes.

"Be careful, Chris, and be a good boy at home," he told the younger Orcot, who grinned up at him.

"Of course, Count! Bye Dana!"

The girl wrapped her arms around her uncle and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek. "Will you come again next weekend with Daddy, too?" she asked. Chris looked up at his elder brother, who was watching them with a grin on his face.

"No, Dana, Chris won't come down every weekend with me, that'd be too much for him," Leon explained. "But perhaps every fourth or so, if Aunt Mary and Uncle Arthur say it's okay. You're going to say goodbye to me too?"

Immediately she wrapped her arms around Leon's throat and squealed when her father flung her through the air. He got three wet kisses before Dana let herself be set down on the ground again. Then Leon smiled at D a little awkwardly.

The kami waved the children away, and Chris quickly distracted Dana while he talked to Leon. Smiling up at him, D adjusted a blonde stray. "I hope you'll have a nice week, Leon," he said softly.

"I'll call once we're there, and I'll call every evening, too," the human promised. D chuckled and resisted the urge to embrace him here in public. Neither he nor Leon were too fond of such shows of affection, but he suddenly had that strange feeling again.

"Take good care of Chris and yourself, please," he whispered. Leon winked at him.

"Now, c'mon, D, it's not as if I was leaving forever," he said. "I'll just be away until Friday. And they're not going to get us out on the streets right in the first week, so no danger there either."

D smiled, searched for a reply and didn't find one. Leon took his hand and gave it a little squeeze. "'S strange, ain't it? Saying goodbye?" he mumbled and looked somewhere else. "Well, at least we've made it to saying goodbye to each other before leaving."

Something flared through D's chest. Involuntarily he grabbed Leon's hand tighter. "I would never let you go without saying goodbye again," he swore. It sounded far too serious for such a simple occasion, and they both stared at each other a little uncomfortably for a moment.

Then Leon chuckled and tugged at a stray of raven hair. "Well, I'd be damn angry if you would," he said. "Watch out for the kids. And don't get yourself into trouble until I'm back, okay?"

D smiled. "I shall try to wait," he promised.

* * *

"Clause one: You are not allowed to feed him anything but fresh fruits and vegetables. Clause two: You are not allowed to force him to do anything. Clause three: You are not allowed to show him to anybody."

The man stared at the little squirrel monkey with fascination. "I've always wanted to have one," he said and patted the little animal's head. D's business smile didn't waver in the least.

"Of course, Sir. Please note that if you break any of the terms of the contract, the shop is not to be held responsible for the consequences."

"He'll make a great secretary, don't you think?" The man gave D a nasty smile. "I already know what he can do for me."

"Sir, he is a pet, not your servant. Please do not forget that you agreed to the second term of the contract."

The little monkey chattered happily. To the man, it sounded like a monkey chattering. To D, the monkey said: "As if I'd become his servant! He's going to be mine before that happens!"

The kami bowed and thus hid his smile as he accompanied his customer on the way out. Then he looked at the clock and bit his lip the next second. How silly he was! That was the fifth time today he was checking to clock to see if Leon would arrive soon for his lunch break. But that would require the human to fly down from New York, and thus wasn't very likely to happen.

Laughing a little bit at himself, D sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. Dana was somewhere in the back, probably sleeping or playing. It was nice that she wasn't so demanding today.

The door opened again and a familiar blonde head stretched inside. "Hi Count," Jill said. "You've got a minute?"

D motioned for her to sit down and got her a cup of tea, which she sipped gratefully. "Geez, the precinct's unbearable at the moment!" she sighed and sat the cup down. "Everyone's head over heels for that Detective New York sent down here in exchange for Leon."

"Well, that certainly is a change," D allowed. He didn't want to be mean towards his lover, but Leon did have some rather exhausting and aggravating traits. "Is he worth the attention he gets?"

Jill smiled. "She. Detective Linda Parker. Well, to be honest, I've no idea. I barely had time to show her to her desk before all the guys started coming round. But I guess she's alright." She grimaced slightly. "Well, Alex certainly thinks she's alright."

"Officer Donovan is courting her?" D asked, dismayed. "In front of your eyes? Does the man have any manners at all?"

Jill grinned. "Well, yes. As long as he still wants to bone you," she replied. "But not much longer. But, well, I broke up with him, so I probably shouldn't complain."

D sniffed. "Leon wouldn't have done that," he remarked.

Now the woman laughed outright. "No, that's true, but only because he'd be too afraid of me whacking him to dare. Where's Dana, by the way?"

The young kami waved around. "Somewhere in the back. I should guess she's playing or sleeping, but she'll soon come and want lunch," he replied. "Do you want to stay, too?"

"No, thanks. I think I've gotta get back and get Detective Parker out of Alex' claws. Just in case. He won't be able to pay two kids with the money he's earning." Jill smiled as if it was a joke, but D could see the bitterness underlying the smile. "Perhaps I'll stop by later. Bye, Count."

She left, waving to him. D put away the cups and got up, sighing. Damn the fact that he was so used to having Leon in his daily routine. It truly was irritating not to hear his lover's steps on the stairs.

* * *

Tetsu was quite amused when he caught him in the evening, staring at the telephone almost fiendishly. "Cool down, Count, he can't be home already," he said and slumped down on the sofa. "Anyway, I for my share am quite glad he's gone for a while. Will do everyone in here good."

His master sent him a reprimanding glance. The totetsu shrugged. "Well, what do you want? He's not coming around that we're not pets. Better if he can get used to that thought from Chris's."

D deigned to turn his mismatched eyes upon his very insolent pet. "He already knew that you're not normal pets. He's known that for years," he said coolly. Tetsu yawned.

"If you say so, Count. I'm still saying that he's pretty freaked out by us, and I can't even blame him. The cats assault him at every given opportunity, and he's pretty afraid you'll catch him with one of them in a dark corner," he said. D froze.

Seeing that his master was having some problems wrapping his mind around this piece of information, T-chan decided to venture further. "Oh, come on, it's not as if he'd ever _do_ anything with them! He's far too freaked out by them to even consider that. They just won't leave him alone, that's all. They think it's funny when he's all embarrassed and uncomfortable."

"Yes, I can imagine that," D gritted through his teeth. Those... No, he was not going to think such of his pets.

Still, that was too much. They knew all perfectly well that Leon was his and his alone. If they wanted to tease him, they could resort to other measures. They could steal his food all they wanted, or chew his shoes, or anything.

No one but him was going to touch Leon in other ways.

That thought was immediately followed by another. Why had Leon not told him about their unduly advances? He could have taken care of that in an instant.

Well, no doubt his lover had realised himself that they were just trying to tease him, and didn't want D to think that he couldn't take care of that alone. The kami smiled affectionately. It was such a cute trait of Leon's that he was so proud. But he still couldn't let this continue.

So he gave up watch beside the telephone and instead went to scold the cats. And when Leon called later that evening, he chatted with him happily, told him about Dana, Jill and the pets, but left aside the cats. After all, they had been taken care of.

* * *

By Friday, the week seemed to last already an eternity. D couldn't get the customers out of the shop soon enough to get everything nice and cleaned up for Leon's arrival. Jill came, too, and they went to the airport together to pick him up in the late evening. The woman seemed more relaxed than during the week, and even cracked jokes about D's impatience to see his lover again when they finally could start. D tried to calm himself, but he couldn't help the expectant lurch his stomach gave when a familiar figure strode out of the arrival hall.

"Hey, wow! How's it going, you two?"

Leon smiled and let D take his hand. "Where's the kid? She in bed?"

"Yes, of course, but I'm sure she'll be up very early in the morning. She was quite overjoyed at the prospect of seeing you again." D slightly squeezed the hand. Leon laughed again and put an arm around Jill's shoulders.

"She's not the only one," the woman remarked and winked at D, who blushed instantly. The squeeze was returned.

"Well, hope so. And? Any news in the precinct?"

"Everyone's in love with your exchange," Jill told her friend while they made their way back to the car. "Linda Parker."

"Yeah, they've got some pretties at New York, too, that's true." Leon smiled at D again, his eyes warm and blue. The kami went a step closer to him. "And how're you? Alex?"

"Is being an asshole, but that's not quite news. The chief said if he should become mean, he's going to suspend him." Jill sighed, troubled. "That baby's for sure causing some problems, you know that? I mean, it's my decision, and I don't really want him to get suspended. Even if he acts like an asshole."

Leon got a thorough update of everything that had been going on in the LAPD before Jill dropped them off at the pet shop. They both watched her drive away, and then D turned to Leon, smiling secretly.

"Well, shall we now celebrate your return?" he murmured and slipped one hand under Leon's T-shirt. The blonde grinned.

"Yeah, think I'd like that."

* * *

A/N: Hei everybody. I was wondering if the updates are okay. Are they too fast? Should I update only every two weeks, or would you on the contrary like me to update faster? I can't promise to update twice every week, but I could perhaps manage to update twice every second week, or so, depending on my free time. Up to you to tell me what to do better.


	7. A Lost World

**A Lost World**

Like D had predicted, Dana woke them very early the next morning. "Daddy's back!" she cried loudly and scrambled into their bed. Hastily the kami grabbed his nightgown and put it on again. Leon just smiled and reached out for his daughter.

"Yeah, sweetie, I'm back. And I'm still tired. I didn't get that much sleep tonight, you know."

D blushed as he slipped out of the bed. Yes, they'd not gotten that much sleep, that was true. But it had totally been worth the night.

While his lover and daughter happily tussled with each other in the bed, he went to prepare breakfast and ignored Tetsu rolling his eyes when he carried the food to the bedroom. He could spoil Leon on the weekends. It was his right to do so.

They immediately set out to the park after breakfast, got ice-cream, played with Dana, did everything they could think of. Only when Dana started yawning did they return to the shop. Leon laid her to sleep and then came to the front room, where D was waiting for him with tea and cake.

The kami sat down beside his lover and snuggled against him. Leon smiled and put an arm around his shoulders.

"So did you like the first week, Leon?" D asked softly and breathed in. He had so missed Leon's scent during the week.

"It wasn't bad," his lover replied and chuckled. "I mean, I get along with the guys in NY, although they're kind of snobbish sometimes. And my family's pretty happy to have me up there, too, 'specially Chris."

"I miss him," D confessed and turned his head so he could look up at his lover.

"Aunt Mary said he can come down another weekend soon. Uncle Arthur isn't too happy about you still, though. Aunt Mary neither, but she's better at hiding it."

D was silent for some moments and played with the seam of Leon's T-shirt.

"Why didn't you tell me about the cats harassing you?"

The body beneath his tensed up. "Who told you they're harassing me?"

The young kami straightened again and looked at his lover's alert blue eyes. "Tetsu told me they prepared a little ambush for you in the bathroom," he said. Leon looked away.

"Oh yeah, that. I didn't think it was such a big deal for you."

"It isn't important for me as long as it's not important for you." D tenderly touched Leon's cheek. "But you are my lover. I do not wish for my pets to tease you in such ways."

The human sighed and sounded slightly impatient. "Look, D, it's not as if anything happened. I'd not cheat on you."

"I know."

Leon looked back at his lover and scrutinised him. "Wait a moment, is this something about you being my lover? Like, they're not allowed to because I'm yours or what?" he demanded to know.

D's instincts started screaming at the strange touch to Leon's voice. He quickly smiled and shook his head. "No, of course not," he lied. "It's just that I was thinking about you. It must have been quite a shock to suddenly see them in their other form…"

"I'm dealing with it," Leon all but snapped. D stared at him for a moment.

"I am not blaming you for anything," he said then, slightly spooked.

"Then stop behaving like you do blame me!"

Leon roughly shook his hand off and took a deep gulp of his tea.

What on earth was the matter suddenly? D didn't understand it.

He slipped away and turned to his own cake, quite confused. For some time the parlour was silent. The pets who were present watched them, some worried, some amused and others expectant.

Then a shrill shriek made D drop his spoon and jump up.

"BÀBÀ! DADDY!"

They were in Dana's room before the echo of the cry had died down. The girl was in her bed, crouching in one corner and pressing her plushies to her chest, screaming loudly. Tetsu and Pon-chan were sitting in front of her, talking to her and looking as confused as everyone else felt.

When the girl saw her fathers, she quickly crawled towards them, carefully keeping as much distance as possible to her two best friends. Leon extended his arms and scooped the baby up. "What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked.

"I don't want them!" she cried. "I want –" The rest of her words drowned in heavy sobs. Leon rocked her gently "What do you want, sweetie? C'mon, what's wrong, did you have a nightmare?"

"Noo…" Dana cried even louder and pointed to the pets. "They are there!" She wailed and hid her head in Leon's shoulder. The blonde exchanged a spooked look with D, but the kami didn't know what was the matter with their child either. Pon-chan looked like she would start crying any second while Tetsu tried to calm her down.

"Dana, what's wrong with you?" Leon asked, nonplussed. "It's just Pon-chan and T-chan. C'mon, you know those two. Granted, I'd start screaming if I saw that sheep too, but you love them."

"They're not Pon-chan and T-chan!" the girl sobbed. "Where are Pon-chan and T-chan? I want them back!"

A thought crossed D's mind.

"_Count, where has everybody gone to? Where are Pon-chan and T-chan?" _

"_We're all still here, Chris."_

Determinedly he disentangled the girl from her father's arm and caressed her back, kneeling down to allow Tetsu and Pon-chan to come close. Leon started to protest, but D shook his head and made Dana look at the two animals.

"Dana, look closely," he said calmly. "Look at them for a moment, into their eyes. They are Pon-chan and T-chan, I assure you." He pushed a strand of sweaty hair out of Dana's face. "You have changed, child," he whispered. "It's your human heritage. Don't be afraid of it. In time you'll get used to it."

He could feel Leon shifting uneasily behind him and knew that the blonde had understood what had happened. Was it chance that Dana started to see the pets as animals while her father at the same time started to see them as humans?

D guessed he should have seen it coming. The rapid development of Dana's ability to speak and also her exposure to human ways should have tipped him off that she was going to adapt. He didn't mind, he had to accept that she would see the world differently than he did. But right now was an unfortunate time to become more human.

The girl hiccoughed and did as her father told her. "They don't look like Pon-chan and T-chan," she insisted with a whiney voice.

Leon sighed deeply and knelt down. "I know, Dana," he said softly. "They don't look like Pon-chan and T-chan to me either. What do you see when you look at them?"

"I don't know." Dana's face contorted again. "They just don't look like Pon-chan and T-chan!"

Tetsu came closer and Leon stared as the young man knelt down in front of his child. He knew exactly how freaked out Dana must feel right now. Hell, he was a good 25 years older than she was and _he_ was freaked out. She was two years old and used to playing with the pets in their human form. No wonder she'd started crying at the sudden change.

Awkwardly he reached out and patted Tetsu's head, who growled but let him do it. The sharp teeth in his handsome human face made the sight ever more frightening. Leon shuddered. "Dana, he really is Tetsu. Would we lie to you? He just looks different now, but he's still the same. Can't you hear him talk to you?"

The totetsu wanted to nudge her foot, but the child drew it away fearfully. His face clouded with real sadness. "Dana-chan, it's me, really," he said. "I'm T-chan. Don't be frightened."

She sniffed and looked close, held Tetsu's gaze for a long moment. Pon-chan crawled closer and tried to get into Leon's lap before she remembered that he wasn't too happy about that at the moment either and halted, tears welling up in her eyes. Leon patted her head and tried to think of the friendly raccoon instead of the blonde girl. It half worked. Now he saw both forms lingering over each other.

Dammit, if he hadn't been a grown man, he'd have jumped up and screamed with frustration. The shop was too weird for his taste.

He nearly missed Dana extending one hand towards the totetsu carefully. He didn't move until he felt it in his hair, grabbing one of his horns. "You talk," she said, sounding confused.

"Yeah, I talk. Everyone talks," Tetsu replied gently. "You just stopped seeing us the way we are, darling."

Her face was confused and the blonde cut in. "Okay, guys, I don't think she really gets that you've got two forms," he said firmly. "She may talk like she's five years old, but she's only two nevertheless. So just – explain to her in a way she understands, for god's sake!"

D and Tetsu glared at him, probably both thinking that he was way older and still not able to understand. Leon growled back. The young kami stroked Dana's head.

"Have you forgotten that animals change shape sometimes, too?" he asked softly. "Just think of the butterflies. We've watched them many times, haven't we? At first they're just small eggs, and then they grow into larvae. Finally they wrap their cocoon around them and when they come out, what do they look like?"

Dana sniffed again, but did not take her hand out of Tetsu's hair. "Like butterflies."

"Right, darling, then they look like butterflies. But before, what did they look like then?" D caressed her cheek. She leaned into him trustingly.

"Like a white egg," she answered.

"Yes, exactly. So they changed, didn't they?"

She took a moment to mull that over, but then her small face lit up. "Yeah!" she cried. "Will Tetsu and Pon-chan become white eggs too?!"

Leon snorted unwillingly at the image of the totetsu weaving a silken cocoon around himself. "As much as I wish he'd do that, he probably won't," he said and petted Dana's head. "But yeah, it's almost like that. Trust me, one day you'll see him again. Meanwhile, you can play with that sheep-tiger."

D looked as if he wanted to scold Leon, but didn't when Pon-chan sidled up to him. "Do you really don't want to play with me anymore?" she asked, lips twitching. Dana listened concentratively.

"Pon-chan?" she said.

The raccoon nodded. "Yes, I'm Pon-chan," she sniffed. Dana's other hand found its place in her fur. She petted the animal hesitantly.

"Why have you changed?" she wanted to know, sounding a lot less confused than before. Leon had to give D that the butterfly-example seemed to have done a good job at explaining to their child what was happening. He wished D would've found similarly easy words to explain the sudden changes to him.

"Everything changes, Dana," the riddle with the black hair spoke up again. "You and the animals alike. You have grown. You are getting older."

The girl pouted. "I don't want to get older if I don't get to play with the pets anymore!" she protested.

Leon grunted. "It's not as if you get to decide such things, sweetie," he said. "Just get used to it. Sooner or later you'll come around."

"Leon!" D hissed angrily. "Don't take it out on her that you aren't able to accommodate to my shop!"

"I'm not taking it out on her, I'm just telling the truth!" the blonde gave back hotly. "What? You didn't see that coming either? You're the one who knows everything in here!"

The mismatched eyes flared. "How could I know that Dana was going to lose her sight for my pets when she grew older? It's probably more due to you than to anything else! Your human influence is taking its toll."

Leon pushed himself up, blue eyes blazing with rage. "Yeah, alright, I'm the bad guy again. Don't care for the fact that I never asked to have my sight changed either, don't care for the fact that I'm putting up with this shit all the time _for you_, just go on and kick my ass another time!" he snapped and slammed the door behind himself.

A moment of silence followed that statement.

"Wow." Tetsu sounded stunned. "Dammit, Count, perhaps it wasn't that good of an idea to make him move into the shop…"

D didn't answer, but he was thinking the exact same thing. Perhaps they had been too hasty. The question was, would they be able to work on that or not?

* * *

When Leon returned to New York on Sunday afternoon, Dana had become slightly used to the situation. At least enough so that Leon could go back without her freaking out again. But she still clung to her father very long before she let him go.

D tried to deal with this new development somehow, cursing the fact that his lover couldn't help him. Since Dana was unsure who the pets were, he couldn't leave her alone with them anymore and had to keep the girl by his side the whole time. It helped a little that Jill stopped by and baby-sitted for some time so he could at least tend to the shop undisturbed.

Still, it was most annoying, and he couldn't help but mention this to Leon during one of their telephone calls. The blonde reacted not quite like D wanted him to.

"Listen, D, it's not my fault this is happening now," he snapped. "I'd change it if I could, but I can't. I'm sorry that you've gotta deal with it alone, but you can at least just close the shop if you want to. I can't just stop training here. The chief'll have my ass, besides it's too difficult to get a replacement for me. And anyway, how would I explain that? It's not as if Dana's got some life-threatening illness. Should I tell them what really happened? Then they're gonna lock me up in some madhouse."

"You could come a day earlier," D argued and watched Dana worriedly, who was just shimmying away from Junrei. The girl-dragon started to cry. "Please, Leon, I need you here. Dana would feel much better if you were here, too. Just this weekend."

There was a deep sigh at the other end, then Leon said, "Just gimme Dana for a moment, okay?"

D called the girl and handed her the receiver. Dana squealed happily when she heard her father's voice. "Daddy! Honlon looks so strange. I don't like Honlon looking like that."

The young kami sighed, too. Dana listened to Leon, her little face tight with concentration. Then it cracked and she laughed, started to chatter away. D gently shushed the pets out and started to clean the parlour. As long as she was busy on the phone with Leon, he could see to his duties.

He finally took the phone again when Dana threatened to fall asleep on it. "Leon, it is really important," he said urgently and cradled his child to him with one arm.

Leon made a sound of protest, then he gave in. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. No promises, D," he warned. "And besides, she doesn't seem that freaked out to me."

D looked at the child clutching his cheongsam. "You've not seen her with them, Leon. She is afraid. How is she to live here if she's afraid of my pets?"

"Well, I'm the wrong one to ask that," Leon snapped. "I'm not too fond of them either. She'll deal with it. Just give her some time."

Stunned, D dropped the matter and instead told his lover that Jill was doing okay so far and that Alex Donovan was still intent on hooking up with his exchange officer. When he put the receiver down again, he was still hurt and angry. Now what exactly was Leon's problem? He wasn't even in the shop anymore! One should really think he would be able to come to terms with the whole situation from so far away.

* * *

A/N: Completely forgot to mention that, but there's a theme song for this story. Well, more or less. *blushes* I just happened to come across "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore" by Bon Jovi and thought it fitted this story wonderfully.

Thank you for the reviews, especially Larme :-) So, on common consent updates will come twice every second week... On this note, bad news, more or less: I'll be away next week, but I've talked to my brother; he said he would update. He did back with Terrible Tea, so I'm hoping he won't forget about it this time either... ^^


	8. A new world

**A New World**

However, obviously he cared enough about Dana and D's fears that he really arrived one day early at the shop. He slept most of the extra day, though, because he'd done a double-shift in order to get Friday off.

D felt miffed and relieved at the same time by that fact. Miffed, because he would've liked to spend the day with his lover and relieved, because Dana chose to dream the day away at her father's side and D was thus able to concentrate on the shop's business.

It didn't help, however, that Jill dropped by in the late afternoon, just when Leon and Dana had woken again, and brought along the exchange officer Linda Parker. Leon was delighted to meet her and chatted with both women while D served tea and cake.

"You know, I've heard a lot about you," Linda Parker said and took a bite of cake, scrutinising Leon curiously. D sat down beside his lover on the sofa and coaxed Dana down from his lap.

"Dana, you know you can sit alone when you eat," he told his child. Leon laughed and quickly glanced at him.

"Oh D, just let her stay here if she wants to. I don't mind," he said and adjusted his hold on the kid. "You've heard a lot about me? Well, probably not too many good things."

D wrinkled his brow, and only Jill winking at him prevented him from reading Leon the riot act. Instead he turned his attention on the third detective. Linda Parker was indeed very good-looking, with her olive skin, the great dark eyes and the even face that was framed by short black curls. She seemed to smile most of the time, in a very charming manner.

And she was doing so right now, too. "Well, in fact you seem to have both fans and haters," she allowed and smiled at the baby. "But everyone loves your child and your –" she hesitated shortly, got a nudge by Jill and continued with "boyfriend."

Leon smiled at the kid and then at D. "It's difficult not to like them," he said, with his easy-going manner. D felt his anger melt slowly.

"Indeed," Linda Parker allowed and closed her eyes in bliss. "That cake's delicious," she said. "Although I was warned that I shouldn't eat too much of it. Someone told me he suspected there was poison in it." She flashed a look at Jill and Leon alike, who suddenly looked pretty weary.

"Alex," Jill said. Leon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I told you you should tell the chief," he replied.

Linda Parker intervened. "I don't want to pry, but I noticed that there's some tension…" She let the words float in the room. D calmly sipped his tea and watched.

Jill finally spoke up. "Well, I already told you that I'm pregnant. Alex's the father, and he's – not quite happy with that," she said darkly. "He can't stand Leon anyway, and off late he's become pretty mean. I think he's jealous that you got to do the training," she added hastily, seeing the look of surprise on Leon's and D's face alike. Then she looked at the clock and gasped. "Dammit, we're running late! Linda, sorry, but we've gotta go back. Thanks for the tea, Count. Leon, I'll catch up with you later!"

They hurriedly left the store, leaving the three behind. Dana slipped down from Leon's lap and went into the back, probably to get her plushies. Leon looked at D. "Did you know that?" he asked.

D shook his head and wrinkled his brow. "No, I didn't. Miss Jill should tell the chief about Detective Donovan's behaviour," he said, his anger now directed at someone else. "This is intolerable."

Leon seemed soothed by his words and even smiled as he got up and kissed D. "Yeah. I'll go check on Dana. I think she needs fresh diapers."

While the kami started to clear away the dishes, he went into the back and started looking for his daughter. He could hear her laughter from somewhere farther in the back and tracked it to one door, which was slightly ajar. Entering the room, he knew at once that he'd never been here before, although the landscape was slightly familiar. Mountains, pine trees, a forest. And it was pretty cold here, too. Not too cold, but chilly.

Goosebumps appeared on his arms as Leon made his way through the thicket, calling for Dana occasionally. He rubbed his arms absent-mindedly and concentrated on ignoring the strange feeling in his stomach. His gut was telling him that something was coming. But he didn't know what, and anyway, he was in D's shop. If he'd start to freak out and upset any precious animal, the kami would have his ass. Damn, why did D always give his pets the first shot?

Those angry thoughts busied the blonde enough so that he didn't notice some animals passing by, whispering to themselves and pointing at him. When he stepped into a small clearing, he saw Dana at once. The girl was sitting beside a small lake and watching something in the water, probably some fish or whatever lived in there. Leon smiled and strode over. "Dana, sweetie, come here! It's time to change your diapers," he called.

His daughter turned, little face still beaming and happy. However, the expression on it changed at once when she saw her father.

"NO!" she shrieked and Leon stopped dead in his tracks, his breath coming fast and almost in gulps. There it was again, the feeling. And it was – it was…

Dana would've fallen into the lake had not some slimy-looking man extended his arms and pushed her back to the shore, where the girl curled up into a small ball and started screaming for her father.

"Daddy! DADDY!"

His instincts told Leon to run for his life, snatch his child up and get away from here as fast as he could. Only he had learned that running wasn't the best of ideas when you were facing one of D's monsters. So he turned, slowly, preparing himself as good as possible for what was waiting for him.

At first he almost laughed. It was just another young woman, pretty strong by the look of her arms, but still…

Then the shape wavered and Leon saw what was hidden beneath the human form.

He was within Dana's reach before his brain even started noticing what had happened. The girl grabbed her father, clung to him and continued screaming while the great Grizzly bear came towards them, growling low in her throat.

"Go away!" Leon bellowed and hastily looked around for someplace safe where he could place Dana.

The bear didn't listen to him. He hadn't expected her to anyway. And his gun was in the bedroom, nowhere near, and there was nothing he could use as a weapon…

"Dana-chan, play with me!" the bear growled. She was within reach now, barely two feet away. The fact that she knew his daughter's name didn't calm Leon in the least. His baby's panic had taken a hold of him, too, set off all his protective instincts.

"She doesn't want to play with you! Go away!" he shouted and tried to protect Dana with his body. The bear got up onto her hind legs, towering over both humans threateningly.

"You will not forbid me to play with my baby!" she spat.

"She's not your baby and she's afraid of you, so go away!"

The bear's eyes, deeply sunken in the skull, seemed to glow. "Your fault, human. It is your fault that she cannot see me anymore. You have taken my baby from me!"

"She's not your baby!" Leon yelled, and despite knowing better, he leashed out and hit the bear.

It burnt like hell for a second, hitting all those muscles and bones under the thick fur, then Leon was thrown onto his back while Dana shrieked in terrible fear. He rolled over, almost burying her under his body, and prayed for the first time in years.

"KATE! This is enough! Away from them!"

The voice thundered through the forest. Leon closed his eyes and sent another prayer to heaven, this time to thank whoever was responsible for this kind of thing.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see D leading a distressed-looking young woman away. The form of the bear still lingered over the undeniably human body.

Dana was sobbing quietly beneath him, so Leon picked himself up, crossed his legs and pressed the child close to his chest. "Ssh, sweetie, everything's alright," he whispered. "The big bad bear is gone, Bàbà took care of him. You don't have to be afraid anymore, I'm here. I'll protect you."

A shadow fell upon him. Looking up, he saw into D's angry, confused eyes. "Leon, what did you do?" he demanded angrily and knelt down beside them, extending his arms for Dana. Leon clutched her closer.

"I didn't do anything. That beast just followed me, came out of the woods, scared Dana to death and then attacked us!" he defended himself. The kami glared at him.

"Kate is a friend of Dana's since years! She would never dream of hurting the child," he snapped. "Why couldn't you just stay calm and wait until Kate got to explain to Dana?!

"And watch my kid being scared out of her mind?! Are you crazy?" Leon's anger flared, and he scrambled to his feet, never letting go of Dana. The girl was still sobbing into his T-shirt and obviously not in much shape to be accessible to reason. "You know what, just keep her out of these friggin' rooms as long as she doesn't know who she's dealing with! Dammit, is it so difficult for you to understand what Dana and I are going through? That we don't recognise everyone at once? Fuck you, D!"

"DETECTIVE!"

"I don't care!" Leon yelled back at the kami while he made his way back towards the door into the corridor. "I don't care for any fucking explanation or some other of your crap, d'you hear me? I don't care!"

He slammed the door behind himself and Dana. D followed at once, but was too late to get into the bedroom before the door was slammed shut and locked, too.

Fuming with anger, he returned to the parlour. He was not going to take Leon's attitude. The human could misbehave all he wanted, he would not care.

And yet, he still felt guilty as hell when he remembered the frightened look on both Leon's and Dana's faces.

* * *

Jill stopped by the shop two hours later and met a quite confused D in the parlour. Usually he would've hesitated to tell her about his quarrel with Leon, but he was still angry and shocked, and besides, Jill was Leon's friend. If anyone could tell him what was wrong, it was this woman.

Said woman chuckled after he'd told the slightly changed story and patted D's shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll come around," she promised. "Besides, I don't see why he should make such a fuss. I'm sure no pet would ever hurt Dana. They love her."

D whole-heartedly agreed. She shook her head and smiled when she set her cup down. "You know what, Count, I think you should stop taking each and everything so much to heart. We all know Leon's a good guy, but he isn't exactly careful with what he says and does. You should know, too, you best of all, but I can't help but feel that of late something's changed with you."

The young kami returned her look with obvious surprise. "Changed in which way, Miss Jill?" he asked, curious. Jill waved around with her hand.

"I don't know. It's not like I really can explain. I just – happened to notice that you and Leon don't fight anymore. Don't get me wrong," she added hastily, seeing the look on D's face. "It's good that you stopped fighting. But you know, it looks to me like you're giving in too much where Leon's concerned. He needs to have his head set straight sometimes. You're good at that, better than anyone of us, so you should do it from time to time, Dana or not. I mean, she's gotta learn that a relationship isn't always milk and honey."

D considered what she had said.

"It's just that you seem to think Leon's something special," Jill said and played with her cup. "He is, of course, but not that special. Don't attribute every good trait you can think of to him. He does have some, but not enough to allow worshipping him."

D smiled at that. Whatever he was doing, he was pretty sure that he was not worshipping his lover.

Still he thanked the woman for her advice and asked her to come round for lunch the next day. Then he returned to the back and the bedroom, which was unlocked, but covered in darkness. Leon had obviously decided that he needed more sleep. Or he was sulking.

The kami decided that it was the latter after having climbed into bed. Leon had turned his back to him and D didn't know what to do. Should he let the human sulk or should he try to convince him that Kate really hadn't meant to harm him or Dana?

Then again, it was Leon's own fault, after all. He should know better than to scream at a Grizzly bear.

Unfortunately, D's own body betrayed him. He craved Leon's touch, the feel of his body against his own, the kisses and pleasure the detective used to give him. There just was no point in staying abstinent when they could have sex. He needed to be reassured that his lover wasn't holding a grudge against him because of this little incident.

D bit his lip and tried to shut his body up, but it insisted that its abstinence be over. Only that Leon wouldn't be very willing to take care of D's needs right now. Or perhaps he'd cooled down by now?

"What?" Leon grunted when D's hand hesitantly touched his shoulder. "I'm not in the mood. A fucking bear tried to kill me and you think of sex?"

The young kami really tried to be calm and understanding, but it was hard. Of course Leon had gotten a great shock. But still.

"I heard sex is a good way to take care of shock," he pointed out softly, trailing fingers over the blonde's chest. He pushed them away and D had to suppress a frustrated groan. He longed to yell at his lover, tell him not to behave like a baby. He was here, in D's bed, who in all heavens should harm him here?

"Are you quite sure you want to waste one of two nights we have on sulking?" he inquired instead, fingers sneaking back to caress the incredibly sensitive spot right under Leon's left hipbone, and smiling triumphantly when the human tensed up unwillingly. There were other places like that on his lover's body, between his shoulder blades for example, and on the inside of his thighs…

"Don't try to string me along!" Leon growled, but his voice already lacked the sharp edge.

"I'm not," D whispered and kissed his naked shoulder. "I simply want you."

Yes, Jill had been quite right when she'd told D that Leon wasn't that different to other human males. He also liked to be told that he was desired. D almost shook his head. He really had to try and stop attributing all vices to everyone but Leon. Of course he was extraordinary in some respects, but "some" didn't mean "all".

However, right now he wanted sex, and he was willing to do a lot to get Leon to sleep with him. Perhaps if he first pleasured his lover, he would be more willing to return the favour…?

Leon gave a surprised gasp when D slipped down and traced his tongue over the fabric between his legs. He didn't receive that kind of treatment very often. D was still kind of shy when it came to sex, and while it was adorable most of the time, the human wished the kami would show more of his self-assurance in bed. He knew D had enough of it to fit three other men.

Only not in bed, it seemed.

However, he couldn't stay angry with his lover if D was doing that. He just couldn't.

"D!" he moaned when he felt the cool fingers slip inside his boxershorts.

"Yes, Leon?" this voice whispered back and Leon had to take a deep breath. That voice always did things to him.

"That bear's never going near Dana again!" he managed and could feel D wrinkle his brow. To avoid any kind of answer, he straightened, caught D in his arms and kissed him, felt D's reluctance melt and then decided that for the moment, he'd not care.

* * *

Jill smiled when she came into the shop Monday afternoon.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Count," she remarked and sat down.

D turned to her and returned the smile. "Yes, I am indeed," he said.

Her smile changed to a knowing grin. "So you and Leon had a nice night yesterday, yes?" The blush was answer enough and she laughed. "Okay then, I'll not ask for details. However, you wanna hear something funny?"

D sat down and took a closer look at the woman. She seemed to be beaming with joy. "Has something happened?" he asked curiously. Jill giggled and covered her mouth.

"Oh yeah, something has happened alright. I can't believe it, it's so absurd I don't even know how to describe it. You know that Leon and I were working on that drug-dealer case, don't you?"

D nodded and poured her a cup of tea. Jill thankfully sipped the hot liquid while she continued. "Well, we were at a loss how to find the big boss. We couldn't get any good tips as to who he was. And guess what? This morning a beggar walks into the precinct and hands us a little book. Says he got it from a madman. And you know what? This book contains all the information we need to get them all. The whole gang. There's no name in it, but the beggar gave us a pretty accurate description of the guy who gave it to him, and besides, someone in the gang is going to spill something."

She laughed again. "God, I know funny things can happen, but this is just – I'm barely able to believe the story! I wouldn't, if I hadn't been there to see the guy. He got _everything_, and he says the man told him to take over his business, since he was going to live in the jungle with his monkey friends. And then he just went away, singing some shanty."

D had to hide his smile behind his teacup. "Congratulations, Miss Jill," he said, bemused. "Well then, I wish you luck with the search for the man."

"We will find him," the woman said, convinced. "I've got this feeling that we're gonna find him." She chuckled. "Although we'll perhaps have to lock him up in a madhouse. But that would totally fit this crazy story."

* * *

Leon was equally overjoyed when he came home again on Friday night, and he decided that they'd have a celebration, which they did. Jill was almost delirious with joy, and she and Leon had a lot of fun while D sat, watched and smiled. It warmed his heart to see them glad again and it gave him hope that this success would ease the tension between Leon and the pets again.

It seemed to work. The human was indeed so happy that he for the first time since weeks didn't mind Pon-chan crawling into his lap when he sat on the sofa, and even hugged Honlon when Junrei started to cry, which made Kanan stare and then wrap her arms around her father so tightly he could barely breathe.

And he also seemed to have forgotten their quarrel one week ago. At least he didn't say a word when Dana went into the back again, accompanied by Tetsu and Pon-chan. D had told them to look out for the child since he really wished to avoid other such occurrences. He wasn't convinced that Leon had forgiven him yet, great sex or not.

Standing in the kitchen, preparing dinner, D admitted to himself that the situation was worrying him. He didn't do too well with unexpected occurrences. Most of the time he knew what was going to happen, both in the shop and in the outside world. Grandfather had trained him to notice certain patterns, and it wasn't too difficult figuring those out. Even humans could, if they tried, for a kami it was like a game.

Only that usually kami weren't involved in those patterns. They could watch the events unfurling from outside, without having to worry about being drawn into the maze of human relationships.

D bit his lip and put some butter in a frying pan. The door opened and the kitchen was filled by Leon's presence. "Hey, watcha doing there?" the blonde murmured and stepped closer. D's breath started to become difficult.

"Cooking, Leon, what else? Don't you want to eat tonight?" he replied and felt arms being wrapped around his waist. Leon started nibbling at his throat. "Darling… we're in the kitchen."

"I know. You remember what I told you, before the first time?"

The memory surfaced and D had to tell himself to breathe calmly. "I still do not think the kitchen floor would be very comfortable… and what if Dana comes in? Or one of the pets?"

"Those doors have locks, you know." Leon chuckled. One frog was undone and he continued his way down D's shoulder. The kami bit his lip and tried to concentrate on the pan. Which was becoming ever more difficult the more Leon's mouth wandered south.

"Leon…" he warned, not wanting his lover to get hurt by the hot pan by accident. "We should at least not stay right here."

"Sure. What 'bout the table?"

D turned round to him and started to say something, but he was immediately cut off by a hungry mouth. Leon pressed him against the counter with his body. D could feel every response of the human's body to him, the weight, the touch…

He changed his mind about having dinner at seven o'clock straight.

Slipping his hands under Leon's shirt, he started to kiss the human back, every bit as hungry as Leon. No… how could he be expected to live without these feelings, this rush of pleasure and this aching, beautiful need…?

The cheongsam was discarded and thrown to the side. D supported himself on the table as Leon turned his attention to his chest and trailed soft kisses down to where his silken pants began. A hand slipped between his thighs and started caressing them through the silk, the warmth and feeling of the silk rubbing over his skin driving the young kami mad. He moaned.

Leon seemed to like the sound. He came back up and, pressing D down on the table, started kissing him again. D knew his back would soon protest this position, but right now, he was too busy taking Leon's shirt off to care. How warm the skin was, and how smooth, especially where the great scars showed the risks of Leon's job…

"Daddy! Bàbà!"

The soft call came from somewhere in the back. It didn't exactly sound frightened, but like they should listen to it. For a moment both adults hesitated and looked into each other's eyes.

"Tetsu and Pon-chan are with her," D said. "There is no danger. I hid all rooms which might scare her."

"She'll live if she waits five minutes longer," Leon replied, smiling contentedly, and turned his attention back to his lover.

However, they weren't granted much time to enjoy the building pleasure.

"Daddy! Bàbà!" This time the voice sounded more urgent, and a little bit frightened. Sighing, Leon broke the kiss and straightened.

"I'll just go have a look at whatever she's doing," he said resigned. "Else she's gonna come in here, or start crying." He looked at D's face and chuckled at the pout. "You know, she definitely inherited that from you," he said and kissed his lover once again. "I told you, getting a kid before we got it on with each other was a bad idea."

D slapped him lightly as he left the kitchen and returned to the dinner, still irked. They already had so few time on the weekend, and although he didn't begrudge Dana her time with her father, it was annoying that the human always left D for her call. He would have liked to get more attention from his lover, especially that kind of attention.

The butter was, of course, gone, so the kami put a new piece in the pan and forcefully turned his thoughts off the events moments ago. They would continue later, in their bedroom, which offered much more comfort than the kitchen in any case. And there they would be able to touch each other in peace, undisturbed by either Dana or the pets, they could kiss and smell and pet and…

The door was slammed shut, and when D turned, he faced a very, very angry Leon, Dana tucked in under his arm, looking thoroughly confused. D, for his part, was quite surprised, too. What had happened that the detective had become that angry when just moments before they'd been on the verge of satisfying their hunger for each other on the kitchen floor?

However, he did not have to wait too long to find out what was the matter. Leon sat Dana down in her chair, very carefully, as if handling a precious antique. "You got any idea where I found her?" he asked, too casually. A shudder crossed D's frame. He could just imagine what had happened now.

"No, I do not, Leon," he answered, trying to sound calm and reasonable. "But I am quite sure that wherever you found her and whatever animal was with her was treating her in the proper way, not threatening to harm her in any way."

"She was playing with two sabre-toothed tigers," Leon said, barely keeping his voice under control.

D's eyes went wide. "How did she find that room?" he exclaimed in astonishment and glanced at his daughter. Half human obviously didn't do anything to diminish her powers inherited by her kami father. Or perhaps it was due to having a lot of human curiosity.

Leon exploded, ignoring the kami's surprise. "FUCKING HELL, D! She was playing with fucking tigers!" he screamed, punching the table with his fist. "I fucking _know_ you're keeping strange animals at the shop, but _sabre-toothed tigers_?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

The cup smashed on Leon's head, littering the kitchen floor with sharp ceramic shards. "Sabre-toothed tigers are at least sure not to teach her such awful vocabulary!" D shrieked back at his human lover, enraged by both the language and Leon's fury. Or better, confused by it. Sure, the shop's pets were not quite common, but Leon had _known_ that for a long time. He'd even been there when D acquired the pets in question.

"Honlon is _far_ more dangerous than they could ever be, and I remember you cuddling her only yesterday!"

"Kanan is my friggin' _daughter_, not some long-extinct animal, you freak!"

"Kanan is, if I may remind you, one of three girls sharing a _dragon_ body, and you are getting crazy about your daughter playing with a sabre-toothed tiger who would _never_ harm the child?!"

"Oh, and how can you be so sure of that?"

D's eyes were a violet and golden fire. "Because, Detective, she is my child. I am the master of this shop. No animal in here will act against my wishes, and I certainly do not wish my child to be harmed!"

"Yeah, you also said you don't want me to be harmed, but that didn't faze that bear in the least when she got all angry at me!"

"That was because you angered her, nothing more! She is barely grown, she forgot that you're a human being, that you're not as strong as she is!"

"But Dana is a human being as well!" Leon yelled, and his fist hit the table another time.

Dana, who'd been staring at her parents with wide, unbelieving eyes, started to cry loudly, reaching for them with her arms, held back by the chair. "Stop fighting!" she shrieked desperately. "Stop fighting, Daddy!"

Leon ignored his child. "I don't care if you're the master in here, I don't want my daughter to play with any freaky animals, and I've told you that a thousand times by now!"

"You were never that worried about Chris playing with my pets!"

"Chris is different, dammit! I didn't even know what kind of freak pets you keep in here then!"

"Well, you certainly didn't put much energy in getting to know the shop better since you moved in. Which would have prevented some of this, if I may point that out!"

"Of course it's my fault again! Why did I even expect you to listen to me one damned time?! For example, when I told you not to let Dana play on her own, or to give her some time to get used to this crap?"

"That is probably reverse, since I cannot remember you ever listening to me either! And I have told you probably as many times that the shop is different than the world you are used to, and that you have to accept that!"

"_You_ are not going to tell _me_ what I've gotta do! If I don't want to put up with this shit in here, I won't, dammit!"

"This _shit_, as you are calling it, is my home!"

"But it's not mine!"

"It would be if you would want it to be!"

"I don't want this crap to be my home! I don't want to run into a friggin' forest in my sitting room and I fucking hell don't want to be attacked by any crazy animals either! Can't you _ever_ give a guy a warning?"

"What kind of warning is there I haven't given you already one thousand times?! You knew from the very beginning that this shop is something special!"

"Yeah, but you never consider telling me why exactly it's such a fucking animal paradise! You never tell me anything at all!"

D gasped for air. "_I_ never tell you anything at all?! _I_ am the one responsible for you _not wanting to know_?! Congratulations, Detective, you just proved once again what an ignorant species the human is!"

"And how should we become less ignorant if you fucking god bitches never _care_ to explain to us?! We're no mind-readers like you, dammit all to hell!"

"HEY, ARE YOU TWO CRAZY?!"

Tetsu's scream was so loud both Leon and D flinched and stared at the fuming totetsu. He strode over and plucked Dana from her seat. "Can't you see that you're frightening her to death, you idiots?!" he hissed and pressed the girl to his chest. Dana grabbed one of his horns and held on to it, hiding her tear-streaked face in his fur. Tetsu patted her back reassuringly, while he glared at his master and his human lover.

"What the _hell_ is going on with you? Mood swings, fine, if you're pregnant, but none of you is, as far as I know, and I'm fucking _sick_ of you fighting about shit all the time! Hot, cold, hot, cold, who's supposed to keep step with you there? Just – get your relationship into some kind of order again, fuck out your brains or whatever it takes to fix this, but _do_ it, dammit!"

And with that, he turned and strode out of the door, leaving Leon and D alone in the kitchen. They stared at each other for a moment, then Leon shook his head and sat down.

"All I'm saying is that you perhaps don't have as much control over them as you think," he said, still not willing to let it go.

D glared at him. "This is ridiculous!" he hissed, walked out and slammed the door behind him.

Somehow, later that evening, they managed to come to terms and even slept with each other, but for the first time since D could remember, he didn't like it. And he suspected that Leon hadn't liked it that much either.

* * *

A/N: "Ah yes, it's starting to get funny..." - Enaty, Owner of this account and currently far, far away.

"Enaty is away for a week like last year and I'm the acountsitter also known as Enaty's brother. But since last year there have been some improvements. I found out that founding the rabbits is a really bad idea... Feeding the plants on the other hand seems to be a quite good idea...at least they don't run away." - Falk Astolat, Accountsitter and too poor to be far, far away.


	9. Neighbourly nosiness

**Neighbourly Nosiness**

The kami was just cleaning up the remains of lunch when someone knocked at the door to the pet shop Monday afternoon. He looked at the table critically, but it was clean enough that he could let someone in.

"Yes?" he called and quickly put the last plate on his tea cart. The door opened to reveal Shao Lin with a package in her hand. D regarded her surprised. He'd not spoken to her mother since Dana's birthday, although he'd met her once or twice on the street. Of course she had gotten a polite greeting, but nothing more. And he was still irked that she'd dared to insult Leon again despite his warning. But as long as the blonde stayed so closed-up about it, he couldn't do anything about it.

And, truth be told, of late his wish to protect Leon against the high society of Chinatown had somewhat diminished. If the detective thought he didn't need to share such with D, well, fine with him. So he treated the girl much friendlier than he might have done a month ago.

"Shao Lin. How may I help you?" he asked and motioned for the girl to sit down. She did so, glancing up at him somewhat anxiously.

"I thought – well, I saw this in a store and I thought perhaps -" she stammered and handed D the package. Curiously he thanked her and opened it to reveal a sweet little dress, obviously intended for his child.

"How nice of you, Shao Lin! I am sure Dana will love it," he said. "Would you like some tea?"

"If you can spend the time," she whispered and glanced at him from wide brown eyes. "You are very busy as of late."

D smiled politely while he stood again and prepared tea. "Am I? Well, business has been good, that is true," he replied.

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "Then I should perhaps not keep you from work..."

She seemed unusually nervous for a simple invitation for tea. It wasn't as if this was something unusual. Three years ago, D had had guests for tea besides Leon, too, simply because he knew how useful connections could be. And he was an expert in getting the information he wanted while someone was drinking tea.

"You are not keeping me from work. Are you still at college, Shao-san?" he asked and poured her a cup of jasmine tea. She would not get away before he knew what was the matter with the girl. He had neglected information-gathering far too much for Leon's and Dana's sake.

"No, I'm at university now," she answered with a faint voice and daintily sipped the tea. D sat down and watched her. Unsure, uncomfortable, jumpy. She usually was a quiet, nice girl. What caused this strange behaviour?

"May I ask what you are studying?"

Now she at least smiled a bit, and her eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm studying Spanish and French. These are such beautiful languages!"

D, who was perfectly able to speak both, smiled and nodded, encouraging her to venture further. "My mother isn't too happy about me studying, though," she added and her face fell. "She wants me to marry as soon as possible."

D clicked his tongue in sympathy. "She's got someone in mind, but I don't think he'll want to marry me," the girl relayed more information.

The kami was just about to inquire who the unlucky suitor Mrs. Shao had chosen was when then door was opened again. A man entered and looked around. "Which one of you is Count D?" he asked, voice curt and firm. D stood and smiled.

"I am tending to the pet shop in my grandfather's absence. How may I help you, Sir?"

The man sent a sharp glance at Lin, who hastily put down the cup and stood, too. "Thank you for the tea, Count," she murmured and wanted to sidle out.

Dana, of course, chose exactly that moment to come to the front room, calling for her father loudly. The man stared at the child, while D bent and tried to send her to the back again. But she once again proved to be his daughter and started to pout. "You promised to read me a story!"

"Not now, Dana, I've got a customer," the kami explained, feeling the man getting restless. He had to make him stay here, but he would certainly not do so with a child being present. Other customers did, but special ones like he...

"I could read her a story, if she likes."

D straightened and looked at Lin in surprise. The girl was flushed, but she smiled at the child, who was considering this stranger. "If you would -"

"It's no inconvenience," Lin hastily assured and sat down on the sofa again, patting it invitingly. D smiled at his child.

"Dana, will you let Shao-san read you a story? I promise I shall read you one later, but at first I have to tend to this mister here."

The girl gave in reluctantly and went over to the sofa. D breathed a silent sigh of relief and turned to the customer. "Please excuse my daughter, Sir," he said with an apologetic smile. The man calmed down, now that the Chinese's attention was on him again.

"That's exactly why I never got kids," he remarked, but followed D to the back without another comment.

"And how might I be of service? Is there something special you are looking for?" the kami asked and led him into another room that served as a parlour since Japan. The man looked around at the cages and animals lounging on the various pieces of furniture.

"I am indeed looking for something special. I have a friend who bought an animal at your shop two months ago. A bird." His eyes pierced D, who smiled his bright fake smile.

"Oh, you are a friend of Mr. Walter? Yes, I remember. A red-backed shrike."

The man smirked. "Exactly."

The fake smile widened. "I see. Well, I have some other specimen which might interest you, Sir. If you would follow me to the back..."

* * *

Dana was quite happily listening to the story when D returned. He smiled at sight and prepared another pot of tea. "Thank you very much, Shao-san."

The girl smiled, too, shyly. "Please, do not call me Shao-san. It sounds like you're talking to my mother."

"Lin-san?" D suggested and she nodded. Dana demanded her attention again. "Don't stop!" she complained. D was amused. He knew Dana wanted to hear the stories at least four times in a row, and wondered how many times Lin had read the small book already.

He made a silent note to buy some more books – for his own sake more than for Dana's – when the door was opened again. He blinked in surprise. Sure, business lately had been going good, but that good...?

Putting on his smile again, he left his child with Lin and turned to the new customer. "Welcome to Count D's pet shop. Here we sell love, hope and dreams. How may I be of service?"

* * *

"Leon! Hey, Leon, wait a moment!"

The blonde whirled round at the sound of that voice and a moment later he had an armful of woman, blonde hair, brown sparkling eyes, beaming face.

"Sandy! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed. "I thought you were still in Spain!"

"Not anymore!" she replied and whirled him around another time. "They sent me to New York instead, ain't that great? I mean, I love LA, but this is just so cool!"

He couldn't help but laugh at her excitement. "How did you know I was here?" he asked and slung an arm around her shoulders comfortably while they were making their way down the street to where he was working.

"I didn't. I just spotted you. At first I thought I was hallucinating, but I know you, young man, and I knew it couldn't be anyone but you. What are _you_ doing here, anyways?"

Leon grinned down at his old friend happily. "I'm doing further training. You phoned Jill already?"

"No, why?" Sandy asked curiously. "You know it's horribly expensive from Spain, and I only arrived here four days ago. I'm still trying to turn the company apartment into someplace I can live at, so no time for phone calls yet. I sent her a postcard before I left. Is she okay?"

"Yeah, of course!" Leon quickly calmed her down, seeing that her face had grown anxious. "She's just – well, long story cut short, Jill hooked up with Alex Donovan -"

"Yeah, I remember that," Sandy said into his words.

"- and got pregnant," Leon continued. "And that's the reason that I'm here. Jill should've been doing the training, but she couldn't go, of course."

"What?!" Sandra stopped dead in her tracks and glared at Leon. "That fucking asshole Alex got Jill pregnant?! Our Jill?!"

Leon could barely conceal the grin at her reaction. "Yeah. Seventh month, if I remember right."

"Oh, I'm so gonna kill Alex!" Sandy exploded. Leon patted her shoulder.

"That's what I said, too. Listen, Sandy, I've gotta get back to work. You have time this evening?"

She snapped out and looked at him. "Yeah, sure. Sorry. You wanna have a cup of coffee? Or tea?" she added, smirking. Leon rolled his eyes.

"Listen, there's a café right opposite to the plaza. Let's just meet up there at half past five, okay?" he suggested and then parted from Sandy, continuing his way to the precinct grinning happily.

He was looking forward to having a chat with her tonight. If only because she would never tell him not to bash Alex' head in for what he was doing to Jill at the moment.

* * *

D was pretty exhausted when he finally closed the shop in the evening, and hurried to bring Dana to bed. He just wanted to stay awake until Leon had called. He longed to hear his lover's voice, to tell him about his day, and in return listen to his stories about New York, Chris and training.

While he was waiting, he started to clean the parlour. How many customers had called today? Seven?

D sighed; his pet shop was getting way too known for his taste. Of course he was already known city-wide, but still… Now that his customers tended to stay alive rather than die and take their secret to the grave, publicity was a double-edged sword.

Yes, the times when he'd dealt out the contracts without having to think about the consequences… The familiar feeling every time when he knew another one had been broken… the… satisfaction…

The teacup he was holding cracked in his hand. D dropped it as if he'd burnt himself and stared at the delicate China. A long crack showed in the beautiful surface. He gritted his teeth and fought back the sudden urge to throw the item at the wall. Why on earth…?

The chiming clock shook him back to reality. D whirled around, clenching his hands as if he was preparing for an attack. His breath was harsh and ragged. Twelve. It was twelve o'clock. And Leon had still not called.

A low growl made its way from D's throat and echoed in the parlour. Some pets nearby responded by hissing, their eyes gleaming in the dim light. A cat leashed out and caught her neighbour, leaving a long scratch across his face.

Before D had realised what was going on, cat and weasel were fighting, claws leaving scratches, hissing, shrieking. The teeth were seeking for the other's neck, trying to…

"STOP IT!"

His voice thundered through the room. Every pet froze and stared at him. D closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing slowly and deliberately.

"Go to your room. You will not fight again," he ordered firmly. They obeyed without protest and went away, leaving him alone. The young kami slumped down on the sofa and hid his face in his hands.

No…

* * *

Jill found him in the parlour the next morning, asleep on the table. "Count!" she exclaimed, rousing him from his sleep.

"Ah! Miss Jill, please excuse me, I must have… I stayed up late last night, Leon wanted to call," he stammered and smoothed his hair and cheongsam. Jill gave him a curious look.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I just wanted to stop by…" She sighed and thus gained his attention completely. Smiling, he offered her a seat and Jill carefully sat down. Her belly was showing quite a lot by now, and D noticed that she had placed one protective hand over it.

"Is something the matter with the child?" he asked, suddenly afraid that her mood might be due to some complication. He knew how that could bring one out of balance.

The woman smiled painfully. "No, the baby's okay." She sighed. "I'm just… Someone is kidnapping babies," she blurted out, much to D's shock.

"What are you saying?" he exclaimed and immediately made sure Dana was safe in her bed. Jill shook her head and leaned back into the sofa.

"It's so sickening," she said, her voice thick. "No one knows who's doing this. But yesterday the second kid was snatched away. While his parents were at the swing with his elder brother."

To D's surprise, she suddenly started crying. "What if we can't find out who it is?"

Quickly he handed her a handkerchief and sat beside her, placing an arm around her shoulders. "Miss Jill, I am sure you are going to find out who is taking these children," he calmed her.

"But what if we're too late? What if they're already dead by then?" She couldn't stop crying. D helplessly patted her back.

"Why should anyone hurt the children? Instinct tells to protect them, not to kill them."

"But we're not talking about some animal, we're talking about a human!" Jill cried out and sat up, her eyes wide and frightened. "They just don't have those anymore! Why else are there people who rape kids, and, and who torture them or make them soldiers? What if it's one of those?!"

D felt the fear take command of his own heart, too. Only the fact that he could feel his daughter's sleeping presence in the back of the shop kept him from running to her and making sure nothing had happened to his baby.

"Miss Jill, please do calm down. You will not be able to help those children if your fear keeps you from doing something about it." His voice was firm and calm, much more in command than D really felt. Jill hiccoughed and wiped away her tears.

"You're right," she said with a thick voice. "I'm – I'd best be going back to the precinct now. Linda's already making inquiries."

D smiled reassuringly and squeezed her hand. "Do so, Miss Jill. I am sure you will be able to help those children," he said softly.

But his own face showed fear when he hurried to the back after she had left.

* * *

A/N: Nearly forgot about that. But I'm still on time, I guess...

There's no pseudo-philosophical wisedom in the notes today. I'm too tired.

- Falk Astolat (for the last time this year...hopefully)


	10. Chaos Potential

**Chaos Potential**

D knew that he had no sensible reason to fear for his own child. Dana barely ever left the shop, and if, it was together with him or Leon, and always in the company of at least two pets who were guarding her. However, that didn't change the feeling that something was threatening him and his child.

Even Leon noticed when he called that evening, expecting to hear a long tirade and instead getting only random responses that barely made sense. They ended the call pretty soon again, with lame excuses on both sides, and then Leon lay in his bed in his aunt's house and couldn't go to sleep. He was already sorry that last weekend had ended so terribly. It really hadn't been his intention to freak out so thoroughly, but when he saw Dana there, with those great animals, he'd just – kind of hit rock bottom. There was only so much he could take without being prepared, and those sabre-toothed tigers had been far beyond his comfort zone on that evening, although that time in this weird dream, he had even shot one. To save D, back then. He didn't know why he had reacted so differently this time.

And yeah, he did have a bad conscience for not handling this situation better. One should think that he was able to, being a grown-up and all, but it had turned out that being away from the shop wasn't the break he'd wanted so badly a few weeks ago. The only thing it had changed was that now he was again seeing the two forms in turns, sometimes the pet, sometimes the human, sometimes both lingering over each other. And yes, he couldn't handle it.

Sighing, Leon rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. That wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. Something was off with D, more off than usual, and there had to be something done about that.

So when he came home for the weekend, he brought along a surprise.

* * *

"Chris!"

"Count!" The boy flung himself at the Chinese, who was staring at him with wide eyes, clearly surprised. A shadow seemed to cross his face, but then he gave in to the joy and embraced the kid. Leon had caught the dark look, but decided that he would later ask D about it. For the moment, he was content to see the kami relax and smile.

He didn't hear the pets heaving a collective sigh of relief that this weekend seemed to be off to a better start than the last few. The tension between those two had been everything but pleasant.

But now it seemed as if it was going to be very pleasant indeed. When Jill arrived on Saturday afternoon, Chris and Dana were playing in the parlour with Tetsu and Pon-chan while Leon and D were watching them from the sofa. There hadn't even been the trace of a fight yet. D was so happy to have Chris here that he completely forgot about being pissed for whatever reason, and Leon was for once too clever to start a fight.

"Wow, it's so quiet in here," Jill remarked, stepping inside. Leon took her coat and hung it up while she sat down heavily.

"Getting really big, that one," he said and nodded at her visible belly. She smiled and patted it affectionately.

"Big and busy, Leon. Kicking, punching, the whole fun." She didn't exactly sound sad.

Dana stopped playing with Chris and looked at Jill with wide eyes. "Auntie Jill?" she said with a decided voice. "Why are you getting so fat?"

Leon started coughing uncontrollably while Jill cracked a wry smile and D hastily covered Dana's mouth. "Dana, it's not polite to say such!" he scolded the girl. Chris giggled, too, and quickly hid behind his elder sibling.

"I'm pregnant, Dana," Jill spoke up and held a hand out. Dana willingly came and sat down on Jill's knees. "What is pregnant?" she asked curiously.

Leon sent D an unbelieving glance. "You never told her where the babies come from?" he demanded to know.

D pressed his lips together. "She knows that animals have babies, but I've not yet seen the need to tell her about human pregnancies," he said stiffly. "Besides, she's only able to understand since a few weeks ago."

Leon rolled his eyes, but kept quiet while Jill carefully explained to Dana that there was a baby in her belly, and finally let the girl feel how it moved in there. The child's eyes were shining brightly when she finally hopped down from the woman's knees again.

"Bàbà, can I get a baby, too, please?" she squealed and made Leon spit out his tea.

"NO!" he exclaimed and coughed, having choked on his tea. Chris patted his back and laughed so hard he was crying.

"Dana, you are too young to have children on your own," D hurriedly explained. "You will have to wait a few years to have any."

"Hopefully a few many years. God." Leon wiped the tears out of his eyes. "D! She shouldn't get any funny ideas about that!"

Dana pouted. "But I _want_ a baby!" she claimed.

"You don't even know what a real baby is, darling," D said, scooping her up. "Babies need a lot of care, and you're still a baby yourself. No, my dear, I'm afraid you won't get any anytime soon."

"But the Count and my brother could have another baby."

All three adults fell silent at Chris' announcement. Dana's eyes went wide. "Truly?" she squealed.

Leon cleared his throat. He looked really uncomfortable. "'Could' doesn't mean 'will', Dana," he said to his daughter. "And D and I aren't going to get any babies anytime soon either."

"Why not?" Dana started protesting loudly, but Leon for once was very firm and decided. "No, sweetie. We won't have another baby just because you want one. We have to want one, too, since we're the ones who'll have to care for it. And that's final."

Jill sent him an admiring glance. "Wow, Leon, I didn't know you're so responsible. You couldn't by any chance play the dad for my baby, just for my parents?" she teased. The tension that had built since Dana's innocent remark was released when everyone started laughing at the image.

"No, Jill, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'd not," Leon replied, chuckling, and patted his leg for Dana. "So now, anyone wants to play cards?"

* * *

The unrest returned the moment Leon was gone from the shop again. D gritted his teeth and received several customers both on Monday and Tuesday. His paperwork needed some attention, too, but without someone looking after Dana, his only choice was to close the shop. What he didn't want to do. If only Jill would have some minutes…

But Jill was busy with the kidnapping case. From what D got to know, the third baby had been snatched in front of a supermarket, while the mother was putting her shopping into the car. The media was in an uproar. D only hoped that Jill wasn't in charge of the case. Guessing by her emotional reaction last week, this would mean stress for her, stress a pregnant woman shouldn't have.

He made sure the "Closed"-sign was on the door when he sat down for a cup of tea and some minutes of silence. However, he didn't really get those. Dana took her chance at blackmailing him into reading her a book, and when he was halfway through, there was a knock at the door. Sighing, D bid his visitor enter.

It was Shao Lin. She stopped in the door, swaying back and forth. "Good day, Count D," she said hesitantly. "I – I do not want to disturb you, it was just… you are having a lot of customers today, too, so I thought if Dana-chan needs a babysitter again…?"

Her voice trailed off while she looked at him from wide dark eyes, like a deer's. D considered her offer, not knowing what to do. "Please sit down, Lin-san," he smiled and poured her a cup of tea as well. Dana slipped down from the sofa and went over to the girl.

"Will you read me a book again?" she asked and held the item out to her. Lin smiled at the little girl. "Why, Dana, if your father says yes, I will," she promised.

"Will you play with me, too?" Dana wanted to know. D hastily intervened.

"Now, Dana, don't be imprudent. Lin-san probably has other things to do," he said. The young woman's eyes flickered up to him.

"I – no, in fact, I don't," she confessed and dropped her gaze again. "In fact, I would be grateful if I could take care of Dana-chan for a while…"

A thought occurred to D then. "You don't want to sit home with your mother," he concluded. Lin nodded, blushing a deep scarlet. The young kami sighed. "You have to stay in the parlour," he said. "No matter what Dana says."

"Of course!" Lin cried in obvious shock. "I would never dream of being so impolite!"

D nodded his agreement and then leaned back while Lin at once started with her baby-sitting duties. Tetsu sidled up to him. The young kami scratched his fur behind one horn. "You will not let her out of your sight," he murmured. "Not into the back and not out of the shop."

The totetsu showed his teeth in a malicious grin. "Aye-aye, Count."

* * *

He could see the surprise on Jill's face when she stepped inside on Thursday and saw Lin on the sofa with Dana, reading yet another story to the girl.

"I didn't know you've gotten yourself a babysitter," she said and hung up her jacket before sitting down on the sofa with a deep sigh. D poured her a cup of tea. He'd just seen his last customer off and was determined not to be bothered for a least half an hour. By anyone.

But Jill of course wasn't an obligation.

"Why, it's not exactly like that," he said and smiled. Dana had cried "Hello, Auntie Jill!" and crawled down to run to her favourite female human. Jill caught her and placed her on her lap.

"Hello baby," she said. Dana shook her head. "I'm not a baby. The baby's in your belly," she replied and made the grown-ups smile.

"Yes, of course. But you're also a baby. Your father's baby." Jill accepted a slice of cake with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Count. Just what I need now. Sugar fix."

"Any news in the kidnapper case?" D inquired. Lin looked like she didn't know what to do, so he handed her a slice of cake as well. It would have been rude to throw her out only to call her in again later when he would open the shop again. Her mother's opinions not considered, the girl was a lovely, quiet company, content to play with his daughter and not demanding anything of D. Just what he needed at the moment.

Jill sighed and he turned his attention back to her. "No, no news. But no baby corpses either, and that's at least good news."

"Are you sure the kidnapper has taken the children to harm them?" D inquired, fighting down the fear.

Jill shook her head. "Why else take them? We've tried to check all airports, you know, because of child trafficking, but nothing whatsoever. There aren't so many reasons why one steals babies. They were really small, you know. Not even a year old." She smiled at Dana and cuddled the girl. "Thank god you're already too old, darling. No one would steal you."

The smile on his face felt plain wrong.

"And what if the purpose of this is neither child trafficking nor violence, but the babies themselves?" D suggested hastily to distract himself from it. "This happens with animals, too, you know. The cuckoo lets other birds raise it's children, but there are also cases in which youngsters lose their parents and the neighbour couple takes care of them."

Both women looked at the kami in surprise. "Truly?" Jill asked. "Well… but why would one steal another woman's baby?"

"Misguided motherly love?" Lin spoke up meekly. "I've once seen a film where a woman lost her kid and stole another one, because she couldn't bear to live without it."

D smiled at her and she blushed. Jill sipped her tea, deep in thought. "Well, we of course have thought about something similar, too, but since three babies were kidnapped, we discarded this theory again. Why would someone take three kids if she just lost one?"

D placed his fingertips together. "You know the legend about the pelican, Miss Jill?" he asked. "It says that the pelican will feed his children with his own flesh if there's not enough food to bring them through. If someone thought maybe that those children weren't looked after, she or he might take them to take care of them in the 'proper way'. Then it wouldn't matter if it's one or five. The kidnapper would continue to 'collect children in need' until she herself won't be able to look after them. Just like the pelican kills itself with this misguided care for it's children."

"That's gross," Jill remarked and rocked Dana. The girl had silently listened to her father's tale. D smiled.

"A mother's love is something very rare and precious, Miss Jill. You are protective of your own child although it isn't even born yet. Every mother follows her instinct there, and as far as I remember, the death of a mother for her children often counts as the ultimate sacrifice, doesn't it? And just as often a mother's love can be misguided. It can become blind obedience towards the child's wishes. Perhaps you remember Mrs. Hayward and her daughter Alice, or Sandra and Julia Taylor… It could also be the other way round, the mother demanding of her child to fulfil the dreams she herself could not fulfil…"

Lin made a small sound, so D glanced at her, but the girl had hidden her face behind her teacup. He looked back at the detective. Jill was silent. She looked down on her own belly, at Dana, then finally at D.

Then she handed Dana over to her father and stood up. D accompanied her to the door. She smiled at him, her eyes betraying her true feelings. "Hey, goes that for you, too?" she asked and tickled Dana's chin. "Because, you know, she keeps calling you 'Dad'…"

D watched her ascend the stairs and felt the cold rise in his body. Instinct was ever the same. No matter what Dana called him, she would always trigger his maternal instinct.

* * *

Leon wasn't too thrilled about Lin either. It was pure chance that he met her Friday evening, D hadn't expected him to arrive so early, and Lin should have been gone long since anyway. It was just that right when she went out the door Dana came running from the back in her nightshirt. She had woken again, probably due to excitement since she knew Daddy was coming home today, and didn't want to go back to bed, no matter what D tried.

So he had let Lin stay. Just for another hour, until he'd brought some kind of order into his paperwork, which had been neglected since two months, the time of Leon moving to the shop and his stay in New York. D never had the time to take care of it, and it started to drive him mad. He wasn't the most exact person himself where tidiness was concerned, but he resented the very thought of his shop becoming as disorderly as Leon's old apartment. His mess was thankfully still packed away in cartons and crates and stuffed away in an empty room.

And so Lin was sitting on the sofa with Dana on her lap when Leon entered. The dark look on his face promised storm, and not even the fact that Dana immediately abandoned Lin's lap to run to her father cheered him up.

"What's she doing here?" he demanded, striding inside and hoisting Dana up on his shoulders. The girl happily tousled his hair and stole his hair tie. The blonde hair falling free made D's heart thump hard in his chest. Hastily he stood.

"Why, Leon, she was just reading a book to Dana," he tried to calm his lover, but didn't have too much success.

"Yeah, I saw that. I don't care."

"I will be on my way, then. Goodnight." Lin quickly disappeared, glancing at Leon with wide eyes.

D's brow wrinkled. He crossed his arms. "That was very impolite, Leon!" he chided his lover. "She was just doing me a favour."

"Why do you need favours from the Shao family, huh?" Leon replied angrily. "If you need a babysitter, hire someone else or ask Jill. I bet she'd be more'n happy to baby-sit Dana."

"As it happens, Miss Jill is very busy with her work," D snapped. "And I don't see why it should be such a terrible occurrence that Shao Lin is reading a book to our daughter." He put emphasis on 'our'. "You might have noticed that in four days it's Christmas Eve. People are looking for presents and I am very busy at the moment. I cannot look after Dana all the time."

Said girl tugged at her human father's hair quite fiercely. "Talk to me!" she demanded. Leon sent a last glare at his lover, but then he turned to his daughter. "I'll go lay her down," he announced and went to Dana's room with the happily babbling girl still on his shoulders.

When D quietly opened the door an hour later, he found Leon sleeping in Dana's small bed, curled up around his daughter, who in turn was holding on to his T-shirt.

The young kami smiled and closed the door again, then leaned against it from outside, staring into the dark corridor. Should he go to bed?

No, he decided. Not knowing that Leon was just in the next room. The temptation to go and wake him would be too great. And he still wasn't done with his paperwork.

So he returned to the parlour, brewed himself some strong black tea and set to work again.

* * *

A/N: Hei da! Jag är tillbaka! I'm tired to the bones - and take that at meaning - and completely beat and... it was so great. It was so damn hell beautiful and great and rainy and cold and absolutely one of the best trips of my life. I loved it. And I love you, brother of my heart, for babysitting my account yet again (but don't you dare have hopes it's gonna be the last time this year; you know what's gonna happen during summer). I brought a lot of souvenirs for you, if that's any consolation ;-)

Okay, back to business: review replies will have to wait; I'm back, but I've gotta do a paper, so time's short again. I'll probably get around to it by the weekend, but you know how it is... university's my job, not writing fanfiction. Even if I wish it was different.


	11. Merry Christmas

**Merry Christmas**

He woke up to find himself in his bed the next morning. However, his clothes were gone, and someone had tucked the covers tightly around his body.

D straightened up, looking around in astonishment. His feeling told him that it was little after eleven. Had Leon carried him to bed last night? Or had it been one of the pets?

Childish laughter in the corridor and the human's voice answered his question. D smiled and slipped back into the sheets.

"Shush, Dana, be quiet! D's still asleep!" Leon admonished their child, who immediately fell silent. Then the adult laughed. "No, sweetie, he's not going to sleep all day. We wanted to go to the park today, didn't we? So we're going to wake him up in an hour at least, won't we?"

He went to the door on bare feet and peeked out of the room. Dana spotted him at once and started to giggle. Leon turned his head and D quickly hid behind the door. "What's it, Dana?" he could hear the human ask. Peeking around the corner again, he saw that Leon had his back to him again. So D stretched out his head, smiled at his child and winked, then quickly pulled back his head again.

Dana was laughing outright at her father's confusion. "Is someone back there?" he asked, and D could hear him going into the corridor some more. Then the steps returned to the child. "Hey babe, it's not nice to play tricks on your father, you know that. Tell me what it is, please?"

The young kami showed himself again, just for a second, and Dana squealed with delight. "Bàbà!" she cried and wanted to scream with laughter. Leon was up in a second and D quickly stepped away from the door, chuckling to himself as it was pushed open.

Leon smiled at him lopsidedly when he caught sight of him. "Hey. Hope we didn't wake you up."

One of the silken sheets fell aside to reveal one long leg. "No, you didn't," D purred, making Leon's eyes go wide. Dana perked around the corner, too. "I saw you!" she piped up. The human never took his eyes off his lover as he coaxed the child out of the door again.

"Yeah, right, you spotted him before me. Well done, Dana. So, why don't you go find Tetsu now? Just for a bit, until D and I come for breakfast?" he suggested and the girl complied with a curious look at her kami father. D kept smiling and holding the sheets around him until the door closed.

Then he took a few steps towards Leon and let the sheets glide down. Blue eyes followed their trail along his graceful body as if mesmerised. "I think I haven't said hello properly yet," the kami purred and wrapped long, white arms around Leon's neck.

This time he liked it much more. And Leon did, too.

* * *

Jill stopped by just as they emerged from the bedroom. She smiled at the slight blush and satisfied grin on Leon's face, but had bad news nevertheless. Well, more or less bad news.

"Hey Leon, the chief asked me yesterday to send you round if you happen to be here this weekend. Seems he wants to ask you something," she said and scooped Dana up from the floor. The girl had slight problems making herself comfortable on Jill's hip since the big belly was pretty much in the way.

Leon sighed and took his jacket. "Well, then I'll go now. Better to get it done."

Jill's cellphone interrupted them. She quickly got the call and her eyes went wide. "What?! Yeah, course, I'm on my way! Leon, hurry up!"

She pushed her friend towards the door. He resisted her attempts at getting him out. "Hey Jill, you sure you wanna take Dana along?" he asked, grinning broadly and chuckled as she handed the girl back to her father with a confused "What? Oh, dammit, yeah, sorry!"

"We'll be back soon!" Leon calmed D, who was starting to protest the sudden events, and they left the shop for the precinct once more in a hurry.

* * *

But they really returned pretty soon. At least Leon returned only three hours later, shaking his head and obviously not knowing what to think.

"LA's gone crazy," he announced to his lover. "They caught our big drug-dealing boss. And they also caught the woman who kidnapped those babies. Complete and utter nutcases, both. And they don't even make first place in today's weirdo top ten."

D blinked at the human, waiting for him to go on. Leon sent Dana a careful glance and lowered his voice when he slumped down onto the sofa. "A woman called the precinct and asked for someone to be sent to her husband's place. She said he'd been behaving weird yesterday when she had dinner with him and their daughter. They're separated. Anyway, someone went to him and had a look at him. Found him in a wardrobe at his place. The guy had cut off his own toes and some of his fingers, they were all strewn around in the apartment. Said he had to sacrifice them so that his _cat_ wouldn't eat him."

The cold feeling in his body was somewhat familiar to D. Leon echoed his thoughts. "You don't happen to have sold anyone a cat off lately, D?" he asked suspiciously.

"No, I don't," the kami snapped and leaned back in his chair, trying to remember. "Not the kind of cat you mean. I sold various pets before Christmas, but not a special one."

Dana had gotten fed up with playing alone and came to fetch her parents for her game, so the matter was dropped for the moment.

When Jill arrived around nine o'clock in the evening, D was just bringing the child to bed, so Leon was already having tea with her in the parlour when he returned to the front. Jill looked strained and exhausted, but content. She smiled at the young kami.

"Hey, did Leon tell you we caught our guys? Good day for the precinct, a wanted fugitive and the kidnapper." She chuckled. "And like I told you, we'll have to lock both up in a madhouse. I don't know which of his drugs the guy took, but they for sure weren't good for him."

He sat and accepted a cup of tea from Leon gratefully. "Well, that's lucky for the police, isn't it?" he asked and sipped the hot liquid. The woman grinned.

"For sure. God, I don't want to be Mrs. Cocuzzi at the moment. Not only that her husband turned out to be a mafia member, no, he also went crazy. It's like a big bad joke."

D sat his cup down, very slowly. His mind was racing. "What did you say was the man's name, Miss Jill?" he inquired with a faint voice.

"Remigio Cocuzzi," Jill answered. "And the woman who took the children was Cathleen Turner."

"Yeah, and the one who cut off his own fingers and toes was Aaron Sandler," Leon chimed in and offered Pon-chan a slice of cake. "Really, I'm gone and everyone in this city seems to go crazy. What's the matter with people?"

A terrible foreboding took hold of the kami, but he tried to shake it off. "Indeed, it seems as if they're using your absence to favour the rest of us with confusing cases," he smiled and slipped his hand into Tetsu's fur. His pet looked at him, eyes thoughtful, but he didn't say anything.

They chatted for about half an hour, but then Jill excused herself and went home. Leon wouldn't let her go alone and returned to the shop in a strange mood. D could feel his piercing gaze as he stepped inside.

"So, what's up with the mafia guy?" he asked and put aside his jacket. D, who'd been staring at a pot with incense, glanced at the human.

"Why are you asking me? The case is clear, isn't it? He went insane and gave himself in."

Leon snorted disparagingly. "C'mon, D, don't give me that shit again. You think I didn't get that you know at least one of those three names?"

The young kami took a deep breath. "If you are assuming that his madness is due to a broken contract, you are wrong," he said firmly. "Mr. Cocuzzi indeed bought a squirrel monkey a few weeks ago. But as far as I know, none of the terms of the contract has been broken."

"You wanna tell me the guy goes and gives up his nice life and family just for fun." Leon sounded clearly unbelieving, which D couldn't hold against him. He couldn't believe it himself, but he knew that the contract was still working. It didn't fit. It fit none of the patterns he knew. Remigio Cocuzzi hadn't been the type to break under pressure, no matter what kind of pressure. So why would he give his whole business to some random stranger and risk being caught and thrown into prison?

"I don't want to tell you anything. I do not know what caused him to act like this, but I can assure you that it wasn't a broken contract," he snapped back, trying to hide his confusion. "Please, Leon, I am tired. I stayed up late last night and did my paperwork. Let's go to bed and discuss this tomorrow."

He didn't know if Leon believed him or if the human was simply tired, too, but they went to bed. While Leon went to sleep almost immediately, though, D couldn't go to sleep for a long time and taxed his brain to find a solution for the recent events.

* * *

Despite the fact that Leon wasn't working at the LAPD at the moment, he spent most of the next two days there, helping Jill with the Cocuzzi-case. So they didn't exactly get to talk a lot, which was both a relief for D and chagrined him since it seemed more and more as if his lover preferred work to spending time with his family. It was almost Christmas, for god's sake, and Leon went away at eight in the morning and returned twelve hours later just in time to say goodnight to Dana!

When D mentioned this, quite sharply, Leon grudgingly consented to at least stay in the shop on Christmas itself. His wrinkled forehead told D that he would have preferred to be in the precinct all the same, helping Jill to get the case closed.

It was thanks to Dana that he changed his mind on the morning of the 24th. The girl was so happy to have her father there for a whole day that Leon couldn't hold his grudge any longer and instead spent most of the morning playing with his child. Then they took a walk on the promenade with Tetsu and Pon-chan. Leon chased Dana up and down the walk while D followed at a slower pace, smiling at their enthusiasm and rejoicing at the sun that filtered through the clouds.

His mood darkened slightly when Leon took the way to the precinct on their way back. "Leon, you promised not to work today!" he complained and adjusted Dana's weight on his hip. The girl was exhaustedly resting her head on his shoulder.

Leon looked kind of uncomfortable. "Oh, c'mon, D! Just wanna say hello and Merry Christmas! You know the guys, too, you could just come along," he argued. "And besides, I wanna make sure Jill's not overstraining herself. She's only got two days to work until she goes into maternity leave."

D gave in, biting his lip in anger. Of course he was worried about Jill, too, but still…

The police officers welcomed him and Leon loud and heartily. "Hey Count! It's great to see you again!" Eliza called and hurried over to present Dana with white chocolate. "You've grown a lot since I saw you last," she smiled at the girl, who hid her head in D's shoulder and blinked at the stranger. D accepted the treat for her and thanked the woman.

Jill laughed when they reached her cubicle and took Dana from D's arms. Linda Parker was sitting on Leon's desk, dangling her legs. "Hey, you've already managed to get the whole entourage," she remarked. "Is that some kind of magic trick?"

Leon smiled at the New Yorker detective. "Nothing's impossible if you're Count D," he joked, but D heard the strained note in his voice. "Anyway, don't you feel lonesome, down here in LA all alone?"

"Not so much. My boyfriend arrived yesterday," Linda Parker replied and bent to her bag to give Dana another bar of chocolate. The girl accepted this one herself and made short work of the wrapping, ignoring her parents crying "No, Dana!" synchronously. It made everyone else laugh, even the chief.

"Well, you'll have to brush her teeth very good tonight, Leon," he said. "Merry Christmas, Count D, also from my wife and Elizabeth."

D accepted the wishes gratefully and was quite relieved when Jill decided after twenty minutes or so that she could go home now. Leon of course offered at once that she could come with them, and so they left the precinct with the woman and a little bag. Leon had to carry it and couldn't hold back a comment.

"I thought the baby's due in six weeks. Why are you taking all that stuff along now already?"

"Because I want to be on the safe side," Jill replied and paused to take a deep breath. "I was early, too. It's just in case."

"Was Dana early?" Leon turned to his lover, carrying their – thanks to chocolate and sugar – wide awake daughter. He hesitated for a second, then shook his head. Not that he actually knew what the right birth time for a Halfling was. But he knew that Dana had spent quite a lot of time in his body and had been fully grown when she was born.

Anyway, he wasn't intent on discussing birth dates with anyone right now. Some of the papers lying on Leon's and Jill's desks had given him something to think about. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was _wrong_ with these three events. Not that he pitied Remigio Cocuzzi. But he really wanted to know what had caused Cathleen Turner and Aaron Sandler to act like this. He couldn't have made such a mistake when he sold them their pets…

Leon didn't notice his lover's unusual silence, he talked with his best friend. Only when they arrived at the pet shop again did he realise D hadn't spoken a word on the whole way back.

"You okay, D? What's the matter?" he asked his lover, concerned, and placed Jill's bag in one corner. The kami actually startled, as if Leon had caught him stealing cookies. His hackles were raised. Stepping closer to the kami, he placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to make him look into his eyes. "D? Is there something you wanna tell me?" he inquired. "About those guys? Sandler, or Cathleen Turner perhaps?"

"No," D all but snapped. "There's nothing I want to tell you."

"Ho, D!" Leon help up his hands and backed up. "You know, you're for sure tetchy about that subject." His eyes showed suspicion, something D really couldn't deal with right now.

"I am tetchy because you promised not to go to the precinct today and dragged Dana and me there," he replied hotly. Jill looked between them, obviously confused.

"Uh, guys, should I, you know, go?" she asked, unsure.

"No." Leon's hand closed around her wrist while he held D's gaze. "No, Jill, it's okay. D just wants to play princess again, nothing more. Come here, sit down."

He dragged her over to the table and made her sit down on the sofa. D stood, fuming for a moment, but then he took control of his anger and prepared tea. He could deal with Leon later, not while Jill was here. She was pregnant, after all, no need to excite her with their fights.

"You know, it's really strange, the thing with Aaron Sandler," Jill said, resting on the cushions with a slightly pained look on her face. "I mean, okay, I understand paranoia. But there wasn't even a cat in his apartment. Why in hell did he imagine one?"

The kami could feel the blue gaze on his back. "Well, people tend to imagine things when they're paranoid. Perhaps he wasn't talking about a real cat. Might've been a picture that set the idea in his mind."

"You think so?" Jill shuffled around, trying to get more comfortable. "I don't know. Perhaps the cat's still at his wife's house. They have a kid, too. I don't even want to imagine what she told her daughter to explain that daddy won't come for Christmas."

"What happened to him, anyway?" Leon asked and ignored D sitting down next to him. Jill watched them with a thoughtful look in her grey eyes.

"Got locked up in a madhouse, of course. It's not a case for the police, if you want. I mean, he didn't hurt anyone but himself."

"But what if someone set the idea in his mind and forced him to cut off his own toes?" Leon argued. D tensed up beside him.

"Now, Leon, that is ridiculous. You would need a lot of subliminal manipulation to get a human to hurt himself. Instinct usually prevents actions like those," he said sharply and was rewarded with a long glance.

"I've seen such over the years. 'Specially the last three years," the blonde said, the suspicion clear in his voice. D gasped for a moment, then he had collected himself again.

"You are forgetting a lot of details here," he snapped. "For once, the person in question would have to have a labile psyche, and second, he or she would have to have done something wrong to justify such punishment."

"I don't think it's for someone else to execute judgement on such a poor bastard." Leon's blue eyes were hard. There was a question in them D could read, but couldn't answer. He didn't know, couldn't explain any better than Leon could!

He turned to Jill, seeking help, but the woman had a strange look on her face, tight and concentrated, and more than a bit confused. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Fuck. It's starting," she whispered. "Can someone please call Alex?"

Leon stared for a moment. "Are you serious?" he cried out then. "You can't have your baby now!"

Both D and Jill regarded him with some amusement. "Leon, I'm not the one who decides when I'm going into labour," the woman pointed out. "And it seems your little nephew wants to be born now. I can't do anything about it."

"But – but didn't you have at least a month still?" the blonde protested. Jill's face contorted. Dana, startled by the sudden uproar at the table, came over and put her small hands on Jill's belly. "Auntie?" she asked with her tiny voice, concern in her eyes.

Jill smiled at the girl. "Don't worry, Dana, it's just the baby," she soothed the child.

Blue eyes went wide. "Does the baby come out of your belly now?"

The woman nodded. Dana cried out in joy. "Can I watch, Auntie Jill, please?"

"Uh," Jill sent a helpless glance into D's direction. "I'm sorry, Dana, but I've got to go to the hospital to have my baby. You can't come with me," she explained carefully. Leon had snapped out of his shock and was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently while he waited for Alex to get to his mobile phone. His face showed badly hidden worry. D almost pitied him for a moment. Christmas and then something like that.

"I will get your things, Miss Jill," the young kami announced and went to the corner where Jill had set down her suitcase earlier that evening. She smiled at him thankfully and let T-chan help her with her cloak. The contractions weren't hard yet, and she seemed to be taking them well. Not like his own child. Dana had been work from the first second, and hard work, too.

At last Leon cursed and put the cellphone back into his pocket. "Sorry, Jill, it's no use. He won't answer the phone. You're okay?"

The woman nodded. She was pale, but quite calm. "Well, no use in waiting any longer. Let's just get to the hospital, okay? You can call him from there again," she said. Her friend nodded, fetched his own jacket and turned back to his family.

"Sorry, D. Didn't want it to happen this way," he said.

"Why does Daddy go with Auntie Jill?" Dana asked and pouted. "I want to watch, too!"

The blonde laughed. "Dana, I'm not going to watch. I'll just give Jill a ride to the hospital and wait if she needs anything else from her apartment or so. Be a good girl, and then perhaps you can come see the baby tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," the girl gave in, but she was still sulking. D shook his head slightly.

"Darling, you know how birth works. You've seen the animals have their babies, didn't you?" he said. The girl sighed deeply and the kami shook his head again in amusement, exchanging a glance with his lover. Dana was starting to imitate their behaviour.

He scooped his daughter up and then went to pat Jill's shoulder. "Good luck," he said and smiled reassuringly. Jill smiled back and then went out with Leon while D sighed again and started to clear away the plates. He wouldn't eat one slice of this cake as long as Leon wasn't here.

* * *

**A/N: **One little announcement: beginning from the next chapter, the rating of this story will change and go up to M. I feel this necessary since I'm not sure just how serious ff-net takes this rating stuff and I think we're slowly reaching a point here where I should be careful to avoid being kicked off this page. The easiest way to get to know about the latest updates is story alert ^^

So all I've got to say for now is thank you all for the reviews so far, and keep in mind that this story won't appear on the K-T rated page anymore!

Larme: Sorry for not answering until now, but thank you for the review : ) My trip was fantastic, and totally worth the money spent on it, as well as the time away from internet. Concerning your review, I'm not sure what you mean with "perfect"... It's more or less a fact that no family is perfect, since there are conflicts and problems everywhere, if not caused in the family itself, then from outside, and Dana'll have to learn to deal with problems, too. I do, however, agree that parents should show their children that their family is "good". Not perfect, but good as it is, and that every family and even the weirdest forms of "family" (to which Leon, D and Dana without any doubt also belong) have a right to exist without being judged by outsiders.


	12. Starting to Crack

****

Starting to crack

He had hoped that the human would come back soon, but his hopes were futile. Leon didn't return until the early morning hours, and when he came inside, he looked pretty exhausted.

"God, D!" he moaned and sat down on the sofa, resting his head in his hands. "How did you survive that?"

A sharp bolt of jealousy flared through D's chest. So Leon had witnessed the birth of the baby. _Jill's_ baby.

"Did you reach Alexander Donovan in time?" he asked and sat down beside the human, trying not to show his chagrin. Leon shook his head.

"No. That asshole wasn't home and his cellphone was on voice mail, every time I called. Bet anything he knew what was up." He glanced at D. "Jill hurt so much," he said with a faint voice. "I couldn't just leave her alone there, with the docs and nurses… I'm sorry I didn't call."

D tried to speak, but his throat was corded up. So instead he pulled Leon against him and made the human rest in his lap. "Sleep now, Leon," he whispered. "Dana will wake soon, and she's going to have a lot of questions."

The blonde tried to look at his lover, but he was obviously completely worn out by his recent experience. So he just snuggled into D's lap and went to sleep. It gave D some satisfaction.

But not nearly enough.

* * *

They didn't go to the hospital that day, because when Leon called and asked for Jill the nurse told them that she was asleep. D arranged for some flowers to be sent to her and then settled to watch Dana unwrap her presents. His mind wasn't in it, but he still smiled at the girl's joy.

From his lover he got a very expensive pastry. Leon looked pretty sheepish when he handed it to D. "I'm sorry," he said and scratched his head. "I tried to find something for you, but I didn't know what to get you… I mean, you don't need anything," he added, gesturing at the shop. D smiled and kissed him, then set out to arrange the pastry on a plate.

When he returned to the front, Leon had opened the newspaper and was scanning the pages while Dana was playing at his feet with her new wooden toys. D had to admit that Leon had chosen them very well; the pieces were cut like trees, plants and animals and Dana was busy arranging them into natural habitats. He smiled at the child with affection when he saw that she was arranging the plants correctly. Granted, she still hesitated sometimes when she had to decide which animal belonged to which habitat, but she was doing very good, considering that she was only two and a half years old. And not used to seeing the pets as animals.

"Leon, have you already called Chris?" he asked his lover and turned to him. To his surprise, Leon's brow was wrinkled and he looked downright angry. The newspaper rustled as it was put down on the table. Blue eyes stared at him accusingly.

"Janet Williamson is dead."

It took D a moment to grasp those words. Then he sat down in surprise. "What?" he said.

The human regarded him with a sharp look. "The name rings a bell?"

"Why, of course; she was the woman who stole John William Carter's pet," D replied, still stunned. "But I fail to see the importance of this…"

Leon looked at Dana, lowered his voice and started to hiss. "Did you think I wouldn't notice that or what? Or did you intend it to be a Christmas surprise for me? Well, I can tell you, I'm not happy! I don't care if you think I'm stupid, I'm at least not stupid enough to forget her name, and what you did to her!"

"Now what is the matter with you?" D protested fiercely and felt his heart clench. "I didn't know! Why should I? She wasn't a customer of my shop, and besides, I gave you a promise, remember? Do you honestly believe I would break it?"

He glared at the human who retreated, sulked and pushed the paper over to him. "Merry Christmas, then, you still succeeded in killing another one! She jumped off a building yesterday evening."

"You are being stupid. I never intended that," the kami said firmly, took the paper and scanned the page, too. _Janet Williamson, 33 years old, crippled since an incident with a dog half a year ago, took her life by throwing herself over the railing of her balcony yesterday evening around half past six._

D's hands shook slightly when he remembered that around that time Leon and Jill had stepped inside the shop. But he still wasn't going to take the blame for this death. He had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

"A tragic incident indeed, but I assure you that it was never my intention to kill her. Quite the contrary, if you might kindly remember," he snapped at the human and pushed the paper back at him. "Usually she would have been dead already by now, due to her insolence. I do not appreciate my charges being stolen."

Leon's face heated up. He growled. "She killed herself because you let your damn pet munch on her until she was crippled!" he accused the kami.

"You yourself told me that it was a just punishment," he replied icily. "You were the one who said that it's far worse punishment than just killing them would be, and that you'd prefer this kind since they would still be alive to do it better next time. I am not to be held responsible if she chose not to even try to do it better."

Leon was fuming, but he knew D had the upper hand in this matter. He _knew_ what he'd told the kami back then. He _knew_ what he'd said, he remembered every word as clearly as D did.

"I'm gonna take a walk," he growled, got up and left the shop. He needed to get some fresh air. This fucking incense was as suffocating as anything could ever be.

* * *

He still wasn't over the fact that this woman had killed herself when they went to the hospital the next day, taking Dana along since the girl had insisted on seeing Jill's baby. But he at least was able to forget about that for a while when they came inside and were greeted by a smiling Jill. Leon breathed a silent sigh of relief. His friend looked good. Far happier than she'd looked the last few weeks.

"Hey, Count! Hi Dana! Are you here to say hello to my little boy?"

D put the wrapped present down besides the flowers and smiled as he bent over the cradle. "Congratulations, Miss Jill," he said softly. "He sure is a pretty baby. Have you decided on a name yet?"

Jill beamed. "Thanks. Yeah, I did. At first I thought about naming him something with 'A', but since his father didn't even bother to show up, I changed my mind. So now his name's going to be James Leon Freshney."

D accidentally brushed against the flowers and made them turn in the vase.

"James _Leon_?" Leon echoed, disbelief on his face. "Jill, what for?"

Her chin set as she looked at her friend. "Because you're gonna be his godfather, for one, and because you already care more for him than his father does. And because you've been my best friend for I-don't-know how many years now, and saved my butt numerous times, and…"

The human laughed and held up his hands. "Okay, okay, I get it."

"I do hope so. At least pretend to be honoured."

"I am, Jill, I am!" Leon protested and grinned broadly.

The woman looked at him and nodded, satisfied. "Okay. So now, you wanna hold your godchild, then?"

"Are you sure I won't drop him?" the blonde asked and Jill laughed.

"Yeah, I am. C'mere, he's a good little boy." Carefully she lowered the baby into Leon's arms. Against the tiny child, he looked like a mountain of a human.

"Hi James," he said and smiled at the baby. The boy's grey-blue eyes were wide and curious. D felt a sharp pang somewhere in his chest, and jealousy flared again. Confused, he tried to fight it down again. Jealous of a baby? This was getting absurd.

Dana grabbed her father's arms and tried to peek at James, too. "I wanna hold him too, Daddy!" she complained.

D looked at Jill, but the woman seemed okay with it. "Sure, honey, but sit down first," she said and patted her bed.

Dana crawled onto the hospital bed and snuggled against Jill. The woman directed her arms and the girl fell very, very silent when Leon lowered the newborn into her arms. She stared at him with wide, blue-golden eyes.

"Wow."

All three grown-ups laughed at the stunned expression on Dana's little face.

"See, this is a real baby. A newborn baby. You're already an older baby," Leon explained and sat down on the bed, too. Jill obligingly drew back her knees.

Dana kept staring at the infant on her lap. "Daddy…" she said hesitantly. Leon smiled and patted her head.

"Don't worry, sweetie. Just be careful with him. He's your little nephew, after all. Do you like him?"

"He's so crinkled," the girl voiced and Jill giggled.

"Well, yeah, that's to be expected. He had a quite hard time coming into this world. But he'll soon be less crinkled, Dana."

James opened his tiny mouth and started to cry with a high, small voice. Jill took him again and offered her breast to him, which he gratefully took. Leon blushed and averted his gaze, but his own daughter was curious.

"Daddy, what's Auntie Jill doing?" she asked and tugged at his shirt sleeve.

"She's feeding James, Dana," D spoke up. He couldn't stand being ignored very well, and he didn't like the developments too much. Fortunately Dana now turned her attention towards him and he started to explain while Jill and Leon talked in hushed voices about Alex Donovan and how to handle him in the future. Leon was angry that there hadn't been any sign of him yet and wanted to punch his face in, in the least, but Jill wouldn't let him. She said she would be content if he would just leave her and the baby alone and pay.

Their discussion was interrupted by the nurse entering. She smiled at Leon's sight.

"Why, hello, Mr. Orcot! Your boy's just fine, isn't he?" she asked and put something down on the table. Jill and Leon started laughing. D's grip on his child tightened and Dana wriggled around. "Bàbà!" she complained.

"Why no, Leon's not James' father," Jill explained, still giggling. "He's just the godfather."

"But…" The nurse looked between them, obviously confused.

"He's gonna be kind of substitute dad for Jamie," Jill said and rocked the boy who'd fallen asleep at her chest. She smiled and kissed his little head. "'Cause his real father isn't really happy about him."

The expression on the nurse's face was pitiful, but she didn't say anything and instead asked Jill some routine questions which the woman answered, then she left again. D let loose again and Dana crawled back to her other father. Leon's eyes were resting on Jill and her baby with tender care and a lot of anger. D bit his lip.

* * *

They ran into Alex on their way out. D felt Leon stiffen and growl. Hastily he adjusted his grip on Dana and reached out for his lover, but it was too late. Alex had already spotted them and halted his steps, clearly unsure what to do now. Leon was in front of him with a few steps.

"So, you're showing up at last?" he growled and the younger man shrugged, trying to appear innocent.

"So what? It's Christmas, man!"

"And your ex is lying in the hospital with your baby!"

Leon's tone was accusing and D fully sympathised with that. Not enough that Jamie would have to grow up without a father, he wasn't even taking an interest in the boy.

"Hey, you know, Jill decided to keep the baby, without even asking me!" Alex snapped and crossed his arms defensively. "I never wanted that kid in the first place!"

"Oh, so it's Jill's fault you're a dad now?" Leon jeered. "You're completely innocent in this, yeah? Because she got pregnant all on her own, yeah?"

Alex' face contorted and he blushed furiously. "I didn't say that, but it was her decision, so she's gotta live with it now!"

"You are such an ass-"

"Leon!" D admonished. As much as he was on Leon's (and Jill's) side, Dana was still around to hear him curse. Alex' eyes flickered to him as if only now realising that he was there, and the scowl was replaced by a mean grin.

"Yeah, and besides, you're one to talk! It's not as if your own kid appeared before she was two years old!"

Leon took a deep breath and would have started to scream, but D spoke first, his voice quiet and sharp as a knife. "In contrast to you, Mr. Donovan, you should take into consideration that he didn't even know he was going to be a father while you were informed of Miss Jill's pregnancy months ago. Your situation is hardly comparable to his."

To his surprise, he felt Leon stiffen even more beside him. Alex Donovan sulked. "Still, it's not as if he's that much better -" he started, but D cut him off once again.

"I can see him taking responsibility for Dana, although he never was obliged to; what about you?"

"Get to Jill now before visiting time is over!" Leon growled and glared at the younger detective who sidled away without another word. Leon's shoulders stayed tense all the same.

D had time to wonder about that all the way home while he cast searching glances at the blonde's set jaw and furrowed brow. He got the answer as soon as they were back in the shop and Dana had taken off to tell Honlon about Jamie.

"Dammit, D, I don't need you to defend me!" Leon snapped, surprising the young kami thoroughly.

"What – I did not defend you, Detective!" he gave back hotly. "I merely showed Mr. Donovan his place!"

"That's still not your job!" Leon's face grew hot and angry. "I can deal with Alex just fine! You aren't even involved in this!"

"Am I not?" D glared daggers at his lover. "Well, I think I am, since Miss Jill has told me of her problems as well. Which you, of course, wouldn't know, because you're not here when she needs help."

Leon roared with fury. "Are you saying I'm a bad best friend?! Just because I'm doing training? I'm doing that for you, too!"

"That was not what I said, and you know that. All I said was that you haven't been here for most of the time and thus can't know what happened in the meantime!" D hissed angrily. "Just listen to me once, would you?"

Leon's shoulders were so tense his T-shirt seams cracked. "I haven't been there because you never told me about Dana!" he gritted through his teeth. "Don't you dare hold that against me!"

D gaped for a moment. "What – how – you imbecile!" he screeched then. "You're turning each and every word I say around!"

"Yeah, good trick, ain't it, I learned that from you!" Leon turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. "You know what, just forget it! I can't talk to you!"

"Oh, and what can I say to you that you won't get wrong?!" D called after him. But Leon was already gone.

* * *

He stayed gone until late in the night. By the time he returned, D had laid Dana to sleep and was pacing the front room in worry. He whirled around when the door was opened. "Leon!" he gasped in relief, started to hurry to his lover and then recoiled. "Where have you been?"

His voice went from worried to cold in no time. The blonde swayed and steadied himself on the doorframe. "In the pub around the corner," he replied, defiantly setting his chin. "And I've been drinking and smoking, and don't you even dare start bitching about that. You're not my master and I'm not one of your pets!"

The young kami stared at him speechless, at a loss what to reply to that declaration of war. "Well – do you want to go to bed now?" he finally managed.

Leon let go of the doorframe and made his way through the parlour, swaying. "Yeah. That's what I want to do now," he said. D watched him go with wide eyes.

* * *

**A/N**: I am a sadist, and proud of it.

No, actually I think I'm more of a realist, although I may sometimes seem sadistic. However, I want to apologise to those of you who thought Jill was going to die when I announced that the rating would go up; I only realised afterwards that it wasn't quite the best place to put that in. In the future I shall try to avoid such coincidences.

Larme: No, I doubt D'll be able to keep Dana in the shop forever, she's got far too much of Leon in her for that. However, although I would truly like to discuss the socialisation problem with you, I'm afraid I can't without spoiling something for you... Which I'd do if it was just you (and if you really insisted on it), but writing it down here for everyone to read would be unfair.  
But yes, I have thought about that, too, for quite some time, and as of yet, I haven't reached a satisfying solution. Dana is different to human children, and she'll always be, so Leon and D will have to be afraid of something happening to her until she's old enough to understand that and why she's different and what she'll have to do to disappear in the crowd. But, seeing how much she already is like Leon, there's no guarantee that she'll be able to stay undercover...


	13. Emergency Plan

**Emergency plan**

He did not join Leon in bed that night, but stayed in the parlour, taxing his head to find the reason for his lover's strange behaviour. Could it be that Leon was weary of him? That he didn't love him anymore...?

D sighed and rested his head in his hands. He could go on deceiving himself like this for years and years on end, but that wouldn't change the way it was. Leon did not love him. He might like D, might even like to sleep with him, but there'd never been talk of love. Never. The blonde was affectionate, caring, but of course he would be, because, after all, D was the mother of his child. And Leon was an honourable man, not like Alex Donovan who blamed everything on Jill. Leon would never do that even if he was fully entitled to, in D's opinion.

Impatiently he got up and started pacing the parlour again. What was the matter with him? Why did it suddenly matter if Leon spoke of love or not? He'd been quite happy with his lover without any such talk, hadn't he? And he _knew _that Leon never spoke of his feelings. That just wasn't like him.

He could feel himself freaking out ever more with the minute. He needed something to hold on to, safety, and he needed it from his lover, now! But how was he supposed to get that safety if Leon just blamed him for each and everything?

D poured himself a cup of tea with shaking hands. So, Janet Williamson was dead. It still wasn't D's fault, and Leon had absolutely _no right _to blame her death on him. He'd not killed her on account of Leon, and now he was being blamed for doing what the human had asked of him? This was just ridiculous!

The teacup clinked when he placed it on the saucer again. Remigio Cocuzzi. Cathleen Turner. Aaron Sandler. They weren't his fault. He'd done nothing to harm them. The contracts had been fair, and he'd told the pets not to kill them. He didn't _know _why they suddenly had chosen to act against their master's wishes.

By the time morning crept around, D hadn't gotten any further. Plus he'd gotten quite a headache from drinking too much too strong black tea and running in circles in his mind. It was then that he realised that Leon would fly back to New York today, and the shock that went through his whole body at the realisation made him almost vomit.

It couldn't go on like this any longer. He had to find out what was the matter with his pets and himself, if possible, before Leon really started to notice that something was wrong.

The voice behind his back made him jump. "You were awake the whole night? Hell, D, why didn't you go to bed? It's yours, you know that, right?"

Leon looked terrible, almost as bad as D felt, but he still managed a smile for the human and got up. "Do you want breakfast?" he asked and received a headshake.

"Gonna wake Dana up. And then I'm gonna visit Jill and get my things packed. You got a present for Chris?"

D pressed his lips together in dismay and confusion. Why couldn't he just _talk_ to his lover?

But instead of telling the human about his fears and doubts, he simply turned back to his tea. "Do so," he agreed. "I shall pack some things for Chris while you're at Miss Jill's."

And that was that. That was what their conversations were like at the moment.

Leon stopped in the door for a moment and looked back at his lover, trying to find something he could say to this ethereal creature sitting over there, and found he had no words that would fit. He knew he couldn't blame the alcohol or yesterday's events. It had been like this for some time now. Not that long. But long enough to know that something was wrong. Only that they both chose to ignore the signs. It was so much easier this way.

He sighed softly and went to Dana's room to wake up his daughter. God, why could they never make time to just talk? Why did one of them always draw back once it came to the serious talk?

And how long would they be able to keep the situation like it was?

* * *

D took Dana to a playground the next day. The girl went with him willingly, although his pets, especially Tetsu and Pon-chan, kept sending him strange glances. But the young kami didn't care. He had to know, and depending on the answers he would find, he would do something.

And just this decision already made him feel better.

It took some time to convince Dana that the other children on the playground wouldn't harm her, but then the girl started playing quite happily, leaving D time to look around. He soon found who he was looking for. The woman looked up in surprise when he sat down beside her on the bench after smiling at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and she looked like she'd had some bad days lately.

"Is this seat taken?" D inquired and she shook her head, glancing at a six or seven-year-old girl at the swings. Dana had just taken an interest in the swings, too, and was looking at the girl with wide eyes. The woman looked between D and Dana.

"Yours?" she asked, smiling a little as the girl stopped the swing and returned Dana's gaze.

"Yes. Her name is Dana."

She pointed to the girl on the swing. "That's Sally. She's seven. How old is your daughter?"

"Three and a half," D lied, not wanting her to get suspicious once she heard Dana talk.

The woman smiled. "That's a cute age. They're not as demanding as they become later. I'm Kathy Sandler."

"D Orcot." They shook hands, D trying to ignore the strange feeling when he for the first time combined his name with Leon's.

"That's an unusual name," Kathy remarked and smiled for real the first time when Sally helped Dana climb onto the swing.

D returned the smile. "I am from China. It's a common name there."

"You're married to an American?"

"Yes. He's a police officer."

Kathy's face clouded over. "Oh. Ah, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't like the police, it's just…"

The young kami waited patiently. She took a deep breath, then she was ready to tell her story. "I had to call the police a few days ago. My – my future ex-husband started to behave strangely, and I didn't know what he was up to… You know, not that I was afraid he'd do anything to Sally and me. I was afraid he'd harm himself. Aaron was always pretty introverted, and since he bought that strange cat in that pet shop in Chinatown…"

She sent D a curious glance. "You probably have heard about that Count D. He disappeared some years ago, but now he suddenly came back."

"I've heard about his shop, yes," D asserted. "Chinatown is full of stories about the pets he's said to sell. There's even a police officer who's trying to catch him for something criminal, but my husband says he's not going to find anything."

He couldn't help but be astounded at human blindness again when Kathy Sandler smiled painfully and looked away. "Yes, I can tell stories about that, too. Aaron went and got himself that great cat there when I told him I wanted a divorce. And one week later he started to behave strangely. He acted as if he was being followed, and I don't know why. I forbade him to take Sally to the cat…"

"Do you by any chance know what kind of cat it was?" D interjected. Kathy looked at their daughters. Sally was pushing Dana on the swing now, the younger girl holding on to the strings tightly.

"I think it's a lynx. I'm not sure, but it's a really big cat. But it can't be a lynx, can it? I mean, aren't those protected? How can he sell a lynx then?"

"I've heard that there is no animal in the world the Count can't get you."

Kathy Sandler nodded slowly. "I don't know what to tell Sally anymore," she whispered, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "She already took it so badly when Aaron and I said we would get divorced. But how am I to tell her that her father cut off his own toes and fingers to feed his _cat_, because he was afraid it was going to eat _him_ if he didn't give it some body parts?"

D's throat felt corded up. "He told the police that?"

The woman buried her head in her hands and nodded, sobbing now. "Not only the police. He told me that, too. The evening before I called the police, he ate dinner with Sally and me, and he was walking in a strange way, and when I asked him, he said that he'd had to sacrifice some of his toes to feed his cat! I didn't believe him, but the morning after, I found blood on the floor where he'd sat! Can you imagine that? He cut off his own digits because he was so afraid! He's gone crazy. How can I tell my daughter her father's a madman?"

Hesitantly D extended a hand and patted her back helplessly. To his great relief, Kathy Sandler calmed down pretty soon again. The young kami collected his daughter and went back to his shop, feeling like he'd frozen to ice inside.

But what waited back at the shop for him was even worse than what he'd just gotten to know.

* * *

Sofu D turned around at the sound of the opening door. Dana squealed in delight and wriggled to be set down to the floor. "Grandpa!" she called and bounced over to the eldest kami, who welcomed her with a smile on his face. He even had a present for her, and D would have been surprised had he not felt so numb inside.

"This is a chain, Dana," Sofu patiently explained. "Here, let me show you. You can put it on and wear it to look beautiful."

The pendant, D noticed, was a beautiful white pearl. He had no doubt it was a natural one. Grandfather would never take cultured pearls. "Thank you, grandfather," he said quietly while Dana ran to show her present to her elder sisters.

Golden eyes looked up and took him in. Sofu D stood. "You look like you've seen a ghost, my grandson. Is something the matter?" His voice made clear that he already knew something was indeed the matter. D would've bet a lot that he also knew what the matter was.

Still he motioned for the eldest to take a seat and prepared a pot of jasmine tea, sending Tetsu into the kitchen to fetch some cake. "How is Dee doing?" he asked, not particularly wanting to debate his problems with his grandfather.

"Very well, thank you. I thought about bringing him along, but I wasn't sure if your detective would be around, and I'd rather not risk those two meeting each other."

D poured some tea and smiled at Tetsu and the plate of éclairs. "I am sure my detective would behave himself, as long as father doesn't threaten to erase humanity again, which I severely doubt."

"Well, perhaps you would do his job this time."

The younger kami stiffened at the words. "What do you mean?" he demanded sharply.

Sofu played with his cup and managed to look amused, although D could tell he was angry. He knew by the hardness in those golden eyes. "Your animals, my grandson. They told me that you've changed a lot since this human moved into your shop. I do not know why you asked him to, and I know I said I wouldn't mix into your affairs, but do you truly think this was a wise move?"

"He was here anyway all the time, and it's much better for Dana to have both her parents around," D snapped. Sofu looked around pointedly.

"Is it? Where have you hidden him, then? I haven't seen him since I arrived, which was one and a half hours ago. Might this be due to the fact that your true being frightened him and he preferred to go to New York to avoid having to deal with your true nature?"

D trembled with fury. "Grandfather, this is none of your business. If you do not want Leon in the shop, tell me so, and I will return it to you. But I will not tolerate this -"

"What will you not tolerate?" Sofu interjected, and now the eyes threw out golden sparks. "You will not tolerate me telling you the truth, but you tolerate his manners and influence over your child and yourself? Well done, grandson. We have seen to what trouble this led. It is time someone puts a stop to the goings-on."

"To which goings-on do you refer, grandfather?" D gritted through his teeth and glared right back.

"You know of course that those pets are harming their human masters like this because of you, don't you?" Sofu inquired icily.

D felt like the breath had been knocked out of his lungs. "Grandfather, you are being absurd!" he protested vehemently. "You know as well as I do that I have no control over their actions once they are sold!"

"No control, yes, but you still affect them." Sofu seemed to burn with fury himself. "They know about your inner conflicts, and they get agitated by them. By changing for that human, you are harming them!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd rather say that the humans came out of this worse," D replied coolly. "And I have not changed for Leon."

"Have you not given him a promise?" Sofu D seemed to delight in the shocked look on his grandson's face. "Yes, I do know about that, too. Oh, how naïve have I been to think that you wouldn't fall for the illusion of his love! But no, I believed that I had raised you strong enough to resist temptation."

D felt his cheeks heating up. Even if Sofu was his grandfather, he had no right to talk to him like that.

"I am old enough to make my own decisions, grandfather, and I don't think they're your concern!" he hissed. "I do not for one second believe that those pets started harming their masters because I _changed. _What I did not!"

"You don't want to see that you've changed, that's all." Sofu glared. "But if you insist, go on all you want. You'll see what's going to come out of this soon enough. You are going to kill yourself sooner or later by trying to make yourself more human. You cannot fight that which you are, and you know that very well yourself."

"Have you just come here to insult me and throw into my face how much you despise me and my actions? If yes, then I will ask you to leave now. I will not listen to your misanthropical speeches anymore!"

"And you are telling me you haven't changed? Just listen to yourself talking!" Sofu hissed. "Are those the words of a kami? Of one whose whole family was slaughtered by humans?"

"The only one of my family who was killed by a human was my father, and Leon would never have killed him had he not threatened to erase humanity. Those you speak about I never knew. I haven't witnessed the slaughter and I have no remembrance of it. You cannot force me to hate every human out there for what some of their ancestors have done." D's voice was a hiss too. It agitated the pets in the parlour, and several other hisses and growls filled the air.

Sofu glared at him. "You can talk yourself into believing that it doesn't bother you, but you know deep down that you are lying to yourself. You despise humanity as much as I do, and not because I forced you to hate them, but because you know what they are doing to earth and her creatures every day, even your precious detective. Deny it all you want, one day you won't be able to hold it back anymore, and then you will probably rip out his throat in your rage." His voice was dripping with venom. D shuddered at it and the image it conjured up in his mind, but he could not help the fact that his hands were claw-like, ready to defend himself, nor that his blood was rushing through his veins in a wild course, whispering of fight and death.

With a mighty effort, D forced his mind and body under his control again. "Stop it, grandfather!" he cried out, horrified by his reaction, by the wild joy that had taken a hold of him along with the instincts. "You will not make me break my promise to Leon. I cannot break it."

Sofu rose abruptly. "Of course you could break it, anytime you want to. You could lie to him about it, or you could tell him why it's impossible for you to keep it. I do not care which way you choose. As for the fact that you think he will leave you once he gets to know what you truly are, he is going to leave you anyway, sooner or later. Do not delude yourself that he will stay by your side."

D clasped his hands over his ears and tried to shut his grandfather's voice out. But it was impossible. He still heard the words through his fingers. "I warned you. I have warned you back when you chose to follow this path, and I warn you now before you continue on it. I will not warn you again. The choice is up to you."

Then the eldest was gone from the parlour. D found himself kneeling on the floor, gasping and fighting back the urge to throw the teacups at the wall, to destroy his parlour, to fight, to _kill_…

Never.

* * *

A/N: Yaa... who's gonna go crazy soon? It's not D, I'm telling you, it's me. I thought this summer would be fun, but looking at everything that's piled up during the last months, I'll be happy if I even get one week free.

Anyway, that's not the point here ^^ What I want to say is, thank you for the reviews, and especially thank you, kristy : ) My sincere thanks for reviewing, and my regards for reading all three at once. I don't know if I could've done that xD  
On the matter of reviews... well, writing a review is basically easy, you only have to adhere one simple rule: write what you'd want to read as a review for your own story. Sometimes the author gives you a hint what he/she'd like to know, for example, if he asks about his characterisation or the plot. In my case, I am happy about every kind of review, and I for sure won't be insulted if you tell me that you didn't like something. That can be anything; I for my share like to slag off the fluff I write, but it can also be that you noticed some logical error in the storyline, or that you thought a character was behaving oddly and not at all like you imagined he/she would in that situation...

Anything you notice helps me to write better. As the author, I cannot look at my own work and judge it, so I have to rely onto you as my reader to tell me if I did a bad job, and if you thought that I did a wonderful job, well, all the better, than I am happy, too, since I can boast to my friends then ;-)

Larme: Jill's child be stolen? That's... *hrhrhr* No, I can't do that. That wouldn't be nice of me. That really wouldn't be nice of me... *grins very broadly* I won't say something about your remark on D being clingy here... Concerning the spoiler question, however, you don't need to register if you don't want to, you could also leave me your email and I'll be sure to mail you, promise.


	14. The Women Here Know

**The Women Here Know**

Leon couldn't help the feeling that something was wrong back at the shop. He couldn't tell why he knew, his gut was telling him something was wrong.

"Leon, are you alright?"

The voice made him look up into Sandy's worried eyes. "Is something the matter?" his friend inquired. "You've been staring at that cellphone like it's gonna bite you any second. You waiting for someone to call? D?"

The cellphone got put into his pocket rather harshly. "No," Leon growled.

"Did you have another fight?"

He glared at the blonde woman. "Sandy, cut it out! I didn't invite you for dinner to talk about D with you, I asked you because I wanted to talk about Jill and her baby."

"Ya, alright! Stop being so damn pissed, I'm not responsible if you had a bad day!" Sandy snapped, but he could tell that his response had only increased her worry and confusion.

"I didn't have a bad day, I'm just sick of people trying to get me to talk about my problems, which I don't have," Leon bellowed and got the attention of the whole diner they were sitting in. Lowering his voice, he continued. "Listen, D's got nothing to do with it, okay? We're having our little disagreements like every other couple, but nothing we can't fix."

"Ya. And that's why you return to NY every weekend more pissed than the last."

Seeing Leon's glare, Sandy dropped the subject and changed to Jill, James and the Alex-problem. "How's she dealing with it? Did he show up again?"

"Not after that day. Jill says the nurses weren't too fond of him and he probably got the clue."

She played with her fork. "Not really good if she wants him to take an interest in James."

"Not really," Leon agreed, relaxing slightly when no other comment about D came.

They ended up talking more than two hours about Jill's situation, the world in general and their jobs. When Leon looked at the clock again, it was way past ten.

"Hey, you wanna go dancing?" Sandy asked and fumbled around in her bag. Leon considered for a moment, but he was already late anyway and would have to stay in a motel tonight. No point in returning to Aunt Mary's today.

"Yeah, why not, let's go!" he said and stood, offering his arm to Sandy.

She laughed and took his arm. "Okay. There's a nice club right around the corner. Not that it's going to be full at this time, but if you want…"

"Yeah, course I do!" the blonde conceded and went with her. He couldn't help but feel his conscience nagging, but he quickly shut it up. Oh, what the hell, D shouldn't even start bitching! After all, he wasn't doing anything wrong. He didn't intend to cheat on his lover, he just wanted to have some fun, he was young, after all, young and – and…

He almost sighed in relief when they came inside. The music was so loud he could barely hear Sandy talking, much less himself thinking. "It's great!" he screamed to be heard over the hard beats and Sandy grinned and gave him the thumps-up.

"Beer?" she yelled and Leon nodded. He made himself comfortable at a table in a small corner and let his gaze wander around. Yeah, he liked such clubs. He just liked them, to hell with D and his attitude. Lots of hot chicks, drinks, fun…

"Hey, whaddya think 'bout her?" Sandy yelled right into his ear and made Leon jump. She giggled and handed him a beer.

"'Bout who?" he asked and she indicated a red-haired woman on the dance floor.

"Nice boobs, huh?"

Leon could see D's raised brow and the disapproving look on his face. He took a deep gulp of his beer and grinned. "Yeah."

* * *

They left the club somewhere around two o'clock and stumbled to Sandy's apartment, laughing and joking the whole time. "And – and can you remember when that idiot wanted to hook up with Jill? And he followed her around the whole time and she was so pissed?"

They both gasped with laughter at the memory. "Yeah, and when she took the frying pan to finally make clear that she didn't want him around and all he said was: Do you like pancakes?"

Leon had to support Sandy's weight, his friend broke down to her knees with laughter. "Yeah, I can remember! Oh god, I can remember! Ah, wait a moment, here's my block…" She fumbled out her key and opened the door. Then she turned back to Leon. "You wanna crash here? You know, it's kinda silly that you should go to a motel…"

Again D's picture appeared in front of Leon's eyes, but he pushed it away. "Yeah, okay. Thanks."

"No problem," Sandy replied and they quietly ascended the stairs. The blonde couldn't help but feel bad. He firmly tried to tell himself that there was absolutely no reason why in hell he should feel bad – it wasn't as if he was going with Sandy because he wanted to get laid or something like that. But still… he knew what D would have to say about him being here.

D could go to hell himself with his damn conservative attitude, and who was the one who was always chatting with Lin when Leon came home, huh? Who was the one keeping secrets all the damn fucking time, and evading Leon's questions? Yeah, right, not Leon.

"You need something still?" Sandy asked and shook him out of his angry tirade.

"Ah, no, no. Thanks," Leon denied and took off his shoes to make himself comfortable on the sofa.

His friend scrutinised him and then sat down, a determined look on her face. "Listen, Leon, it's not my business, I'm sure of that, but I still think I should talk to you about it," she said and he halted his movements to stare at her.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

Sandra smiled pitifully. "You think I didn't notice you're pretty down lately? Since you came back after Christmas, and even before? I called Jill, you know, to wish her and the baby well."

"Yeah. So what?" Leon asked curtly. Sandy sighed.

"She told me that you and D aren't getting along too well at the moment. And I –" She shrugged and lowered her eyes. "You know, I was just asking myself if it's – because of me or something…"

The blonde stared for a moment. Then he laughed bitterly and slumped back into the sofa. "You? No, Sandy, it's surely not because of you. D doesn't even know you're in New York."

"What? Leon, have you lost your mind?" she snapped and glared daggers at him. "How can you be so stupid?! Do you have any idea what's gonna happen if he finds out that you didn't tell him?! I mean, he's jealous, Leon, real jealous, and he was even when you two weren't a couple!"

"Hey, cut it out!" he replied hotly. "I've got a right to have a life myself, okay? I'm not cheating on D with you, so why should I tell him? I fucking hell know how he's gonna react, that's why I didn't tell him 'bout you!"

Sandy slumped back, too, and covered her face with her hands, groaning. "How can one person be so stupid?" she asked desperately. "Leon…"

"I'm not his damn pet, I don't have to tell him each and everything!" The blonde glared back at her. "I'm myself still!"

She took her hands off her face and regarded him silently. "You're trapped," she said.

Leon took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Yelling at Sandy wasn't going to make anything better. "I just want to have something for me, don't you understand? At the shop it's always him and everything's his, and – hell, I can't tell you what it is! But I'm fed up with it! I'm not one of those guys who marry up to have money!"

Sandra snorted. "You think you're a kept man for the Count? You have any idea how stupid that sounds?"

"Well, then I'm stupid, doesn't matter anyway!" Leon snapped. He couldn't tell her the truth. He couldn't tell her why this shop unnerved him so much, why he felt like back in the old days around D lately, every time the kami suddenly shut up and wouldn't tell him what was the goddamn matter.

Sandy shook her head and moved over to the sofa to sit beside him. "Leon, listen to me. I've known you for a long, long time, and we've been sleeping with each other for years, if one adds up all the times. You're a good guy. You don't go to clubs if you're in a relationship. Well, you do, but only with your girlfriend, and if she's not coming along, she at least knows where you are."

The blonde looked at the floor. "Yeah. So what?"

"I bet anything in the world that the Count doesn't know where you spent this evening."

"Like I said, he doesn't have to know everything!" Leon growled.

"But –" Sandy stopped, sighed deeply and patted Leon's leg. He pushed her hand away. "Leon, something's wrong with you two," she said quietly. "Something's wrong with _you_. I thought you're in love with him. That you like him and your kid and want to be with them. What happened to that?"

"Nothing happened, and kindly keep out of my fucking affairs!"

"Oh, stop it, you dumbhead!" she replied hotly. "It is my business, because if he finds out about me, I'll be responsible for you two breaking up with each other! And I don't want that, d'you hear me? I don't want to be the cause of a ruined relationship!"

She held Leon's gaze, brown eyes stern and serious. "Now just answer one question, okay? If I told you we could get it on with each other now – forget about everything else I said – if I told you I'd sleep with you now, would you say yes?"

"You know full well that I don't cheat on my girlfriends!" Leon exploded, pushing away from her even more.

Sandy nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know that. But still – would you say yes?"

"What's that going to be, a fucking test or something like that?!" He glared even more. "Oh, just fuck you, Sandy, I'm not playing along! I'll sleep in a motel, forget it!"

"Hey, you won't go anywhere!" Sandra caught his arm and firmly pulled him back onto the sofa. "I just want to know, Leon. I want to know how you feel about the Count, because I fucking want to _help_ you! D'you think I said we'd cancel it just for fun when he came back? D'you think I've never felt anything for you in all those years?"

Thoroughly shocked Leon stared at her. "You're not in love with me," he said dumbfounded. "Say you're not."

Sandra snorted and waved her hand. "No, I'm not, if you can sleep better then. But I still love you, Leon." He made a sound like a mouse on whose tail someone had stepped and she chuckled.

"Hey, why else did I sleep with you if I don't like you? I know, I'm not prude. I can differentiate between sex and love. But you're – more than just a sex partner. Not the love of my life, but more. And I was – happy with you, in a way. I never planned on spending my life with you, or having children with you 'cause you're not the right one for that, and I'm not the right one for you, but – I still liked being with you. And then came the Count and the kid. Don't get me wrong. I don't regret calling it off because they're there. I always knew that he's better for you than I am. But – you can't just go and ruin it like that, don't you understand?"

Leon stared at her, kind of shell-shocked. "No, I don't," he said, talking like a machine.

Sandy sighed and threaded a hand through her hair. "What you have with the Count, Leon – it's real big. It could be real good, and it could get real nasty. If you hadn't wanted to, I'd not have ended our affair. But he was there, and I knew you wanted him and not me, so I let you go. He loves you, I bet he loves you more than his life, and I know you do, too, but you're so complicated, you just can't get to each other how much he means to you. And that's not good, Leon. That's just not good."

She caressed his stubbly cheek. "I want you to be happy, Leon. With him or without him, but I don't think you'll ever be happy without him. I don't think you can be happy without him and Dana. So do me a favour and think before you do something silly, okay? Please. I don't want to have lost a good fuck for nothing."

"Hey, what exactly did you drink today?" the blonde asked and put a hand to her forehead. "Are you sure there wasn't some drug in your drink?"

She slapped his hand away and laughed. "You idiot! You know what I mean. And now go to sleep before I rethink my decision and kick you out on the street for being such an incredible dumbhead!"

Leon still considered getting a motel room, but he decided against and lay down on the couch. Sandy stopped in the door and looked back at him, her eyes worried and warm. "No relationship's easy, Leon, you know that as good as I do. But you've gotta try at least. And if you don't tell him what's wrong with you, he won't know. So just – try to talk, okay? Don't make it worse than it is by keeping your mouth shut."

He didn't reply and she went to her bedroom. Alone, Leon stared at the ceiling and thought about D. D and the pet shop. Sandy was wrong. Talking wasn't going to help here. This was nothing some serious talk could fix. Something was wrong with both of them, and until they'd figured that out, there was no way in hell their relationship was going anywhere.

* * *

A/N: Can it be that I accidentally deleted this chapter sometime last week? o.O Because if yes, and because someone happens to have the original still, it'd be nice of you to tell me. Thanks, Enaty


	15. Grant Me One Wish

**Grant Me One Wish**

He couldn't go to sleep.

Growling low in his throat, D pushed the covers off and stalked to the window to look at the small garden that lay beneath his bedroom. Usually that made him calm down, but today it just made the unrest worse. Growling again, he left his room and rushed through the corridors of the pet shop without having a definite aim. He just had to move, had to compensate this feeling of being driven by some strange, dark power.

His hands cramped into claws and his eyes shone in the darkness when he stopped in front of a cage. The bird sleeping in it moved uneasily, woke and stared at his master, clearly terrified. Then it flew off to the farthest edge of the cage.

D turned again and resumed pacing the shop. He stopped for a moment in front of the door that led into the jungle, but in some reasonable part of his brain he knew that if he went inside the thick, stifling atmosphere in there now, laden with never-ending rain and danger, the consequences might be awful. So instead he let out a frustrated scream and punched the door with all his might. A big splinter of wood came off.

"Count."

The voice made him turn his burning eyes onto the girl standing right behind him. Shuko regarded him silently.

"You know that he's right," she said.

D went as cold as if he'd been doused with icy water. The dragon twitched and Kanan showed herself. "Dammit, Count, it's not funny anymore!" she exploded. "I mean, okay, Leon's been an asshole, and your grandfather's been one, too, but you're not all that better, you know? Can't you tell that something horrible is going to happen if you don't make it stop?"

The kami broke down to his knees. He choked, put one hand to this throat, and felt tears run out of his eyes. Kanan softened and sat down beside him. "It's not too late yet, Count!" she whispered, and Shuko chimed in.

"She's right, father. You have to find a way, soon! It's not yet too late."

It felt as if his eyes had turned into two little wells, they supplied his cheeks with so much water. "But what can I do? I promised him! If I break my promise he'll leave me!"

"He's going to leave you anyway if this doesn't stop soon," Kanan said coldly. "Count, this is becoming madness. And as much as I'd like that idiot to stay in here, if he can't accept what you are, it's doomed anyway."

D curled up into a little ball, hugging his knees to his chest. "No," he whispered. "No, there must be another way to achieve both..."

Kanan wanted to say something, but Shuko stopped her and shrugged. "I am afraid I can see no other way. But if you should find one, I will be all-too-happy," she said. Then she hesitated.

And bent down to hug her father. D's tears stopped of sheer surprise. "Please, father. I do not want to lose you," the dragon whispered. Then she straightened again and hurried away.

The calm returned to D's mind. He sat up and absent-mindedly played with the seam of his tunic. Shuko was right. There was a way to end this. He just had to find it. If grandfather was right and the animals turned against their masters because of his hidden aggressions, he had to find a way to either let those aggressions out or to calm them.

He knew what would result out of the first option. So that wasn't possible. But he also knew that his aggression towards humankind was based on instinct. So which instinct put out the aggression?

It shocked him thoroughly when he realised which would do the job. But the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It would serve several purposes at once. He would become calmer, and he'd also have more to do than before so he wouldn't have as much time to busy himself with humans and aggression. Considering what had happened during the first, he'd probably not even be able to work in any way. And then it of course would be something that would bind Leon to him even more, that would make sure the human stayed at his side.

D almost laughed. The solution was so easy.

Maternal instinct.

* * *

Leon hadn't slept too well. When he woke up the next morning, curled up on Sandy's couch, he had a headache which was much worse than the amount of alcohol he'd drunken justified, and he had a feeling as if danger was lurking right around the corner. In fact, he was so jumpy that Sandy made comments all during breakfast and his New Yorker partner Nate sent him back to the precinct after a while.

So Leon spent the next hour sitting at his desk – or rather, Linda Parker's desk – and tried to decide what to do. The problem was that his gut didn't tell him where the danger lurked. He just knew it had something to do with D. Whatever that meant.

Finally he punched his desk in frustration and growled. He already knew that something was wrong with D and him, that didn't help in any way. He had to find out what was wrong.

As usual when Leon needed to know something, he did something silly. In this case he got online and tried to find more details about the recent strange occurrences in Los Angeles. He found out that Aaron Sandler had been brought to a madhouse. His wife Kathy had told the police that he was keeping a big cat in their garden house outside the city, but when they looked for it there, they didn't find anything.

The parents of the babies Cathleen Turner had kidnapped were overjoyed to get their children back safe and sound. There was no trace that the woman had treated them badly, quite the contrary. In the interrogations she had confessed everything and told the police that she had lost her own child seven months ago. Leon calculated. D had been back in LA at the time. When he got a photo of the woman, he stiffened. He knew her face. And he was damn hell sure he'd seen her in the pet shop.

He didn't pay that much attention to Remigio Cocuzzi. After all, he knew a lot about the guy, and he didn't exactly feel sorry for him. Plus, nothing really grave had happened to him or anyone else. Which was quite surprising, considering that he was talking D and his pets here. If he'd have to guess, he'd have said Cocuzzi was more likely to turn up dead and ripped to pieces than survive and get locked up in a madhouse. Which wasn't pleasant at all, but still…

Then there was Janet Williamson. Leon couldn't help the stab of guilt he felt when he looked at her photo. He could remember the article he'd read to D back then, pretending that he didn't know what kind of dog had ripped her to pieces. But he of course had known. And he hadn't done anything to prevent it. He hadn't held D back that evening, although it hadn't been hard to grasp where the kami was going.

But D had let her live. That had astounded Leon, even made him happy. He hadn't paid so much attention to what the woman suffered afterwards, the point was that she was still alive. That D had let her live.

Shortly after that, he'd asked him not to kill humans anymore. Only that the promise had obviously been in vain. Janet Williamson was dead all the same, and all he had achieved with making D give this promise was that now his victims got crippled or went insane.

Which wasn't better at all. Leon hated himself for thinking this, but it just wasn't fair. Those rules weren't fair. D couldn't just go and decide who got to live and who died, who came out unscathed and who had to spend the rest of their lives tied to a wheelchair.

Worse, now those people started turning against other people, if Cathleen Turner was anything to go by. And Leon couldn't do anything against that either.

He hid his face in his hands and groaned in despair. Dammit, why did D have to make everything so complicated? Why couldn't he just let the shop be and be happy with Leon and Dana? They had something good here, couldn't he see that?

A sudden thought crossed his mind. Leon bolted upright in his chair. Hadn't D told him that none of them had broken their contract? But if they hadn't – then D wasn't guilty of what had happened.

He tried to convince himself that the kami had spoken the truth. By the time Nate returned to the precinct, Leon had nearly succeeded.

The news he got from Nate made him believe that some other god than D had taken an extreme dislike to him.

* * *

D was at the phone the second it started to ring. "Count D's pet shop, how may I help you?" he said into the receiver, wishing nothing more than to hear Leon's voice.

His wish came true. But he didn't like at all what the beloved voice was telling him. "What? What do you mean, you can't come home on Tuesday? I don't care that you were home for Christmas. It's New Year's!"

Leon's voice rose to a volume that even the pets sitting beside D could hear what the human was saying. "Yeah, I know, D, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm here to do training. And they've been more than fair, giving me every weekend off. Now they need me here and I won't tell them that I've gotta fly back because you want me to!"

"Dana will be terribly disappointed!"

"Dana will not even care, D. She's fucking two and a half years old, she doesn't even know what New Year's is. We can celebrate Chinese New Year instead, so don't make a fuss, okay?"

"I'm not making a fuss!"

"Yes, you are. I can't come and that's final. I don't want to lose my job, okay?"

D's lips were one thin white line. "And what about Miss Jill and James? I wanted to invite them. She's so unhappy about Alex Donovan."

Leon's voice softened. "I know. Just invite her, okay? Cheer her up, you can do that pretty good. New Year's isn't that big deal anyway."

"No, it isn't." D didn't mean it at all. Leon knew he didn't.

"I'll call you later from home," he said curtly. "It's not that long. I'll be home for the weekend."

D took a deep breath and told himself that he couldn't risk angering Leon if he wanted his plan to work out. "If you have to, then do what you have to do," he allowed grudgingly. "Do you want to talk to Dana?"

As he handed the receiver over to his overjoyed daughter, D felt again like throwing a lot of teacups against the nearest wall. Instead, he went to his bedroom and threw various items at the wall there. He still had enough control not to present a bad example for his child.

* * *

Leon heaved a silent sigh of relief when the phone call went more or less smoothly. He hadn't expected D to be very happy about the news, but he hadn't blown up like the human had expected him to.

So Leon tried not to feel too bad when he went to New York's Chinatown with Chris, Sam and Josie on the morning of the 31st December. He managed to not even think about D and Dana at the pet shop most of the time. Only when they got something to eat from a street vendor was he reminded that of LA. A woman ploughed her way through the masses of people on the street and stopped in front of Leon, gasping for air.

"Oh, the young detective!" she chirped. Leon tried not to flinch.

"Hello Mrs. Shao. If you'd excuse us, we're in kind of a hurry," he answered and started to nudge Chris towards a big building. He had no idea what was in there, but anyplace was better than being near that woman. His younger brother picked up on that at once and started tugging Sam towards the building, too, while Mrs. Shao's eyes gazed at them.

"A family day, Detective? Where's our dear Count?"

"D's home in LA. He can't just leave the shop alone," Leon gritted through his teeth. Josie wrinkled her brow and glared at the woman.

"I don't know who you are, but you obviously can't tell when you're not wanted somewhere," she said openly, making Leon's eyes go wide with horror. Mrs. Shao would never forgive him that.

"Josie, shut up!" he hissed and grabbed his cousin rather harshly. She shook him off and returned Mrs. Shao's icy glare.

"No, Leon, I won't. I don't see why you should let yourself be pushed around by those damn people in Chinatown in LA," she said. "I mean, what's the big deal? The Count decided he likes you and not them, so why do you let them bother you?"

"Your sister is a charming young lady," Mrs. Shao said, her smile frozen on her face. "I am sure the Count would be delighted to get to know your family, Detective."

Leon had enough. He grabbed Josie again and just went away without bothering to answer. He was pretty sure that this would earn him the never-ending wrath of the whole Shao family. But he didn't care. He didn't need D to protect him from them with his high-society-tricks. He'd never given a damn about them when he and D hadn't been a couple, so why should he start giving a damn about them now?

And the next time he met Lin in the shop, he'd throw the girl out at once, no matter what D said. Dana was his kid as well, and he had a right to say who was going near her and who not.

* * *

Leon decided that he really had to find out which god hated him so damn much when he stepped into the shop with Chris in tow the next Friday and immediately saw Shao Lin.

D barely came in time to protect the young woman from being beaten out of the shop. His own rage was only calmed by Chris's presence, who seemed to be on the verge of tears when they started fighting right away. Since D's nerves couldn't handle two crying children at the same time – Dana was already crying loudly – he gave in and went into the kitchen, still fuming with anger. This fight would make it nearly impossible to convince his lover of his plan. Not to mention what consequences the Shaos would draw.

Leon did his very best not to meet D alone for the rest of the day, which wasn't much, fortunately. By the time the children went to bed, he'd set up camp in the parlour in Dana's corner.

"Where does that chain come from, anyway?" he asked, glaring at the kami on his high-backed chair.

"Grandfather stopped by a few days ago. It was his Christmas present for Dana."

Leon snorted disparagingly. "Great present for a small kid. What's she to do with it?"

"Jewellery seldom serves any useful purpose," D snapped back and fumbled his own chain out from under his shirt. "If I may remind you of that. You yourself buy it on occasion."

The human stared at the silver pendant and the cat's violet eyes. D could see how the memory of Japan surfaced in his mind. "Are you still hungry?" he asked and stood abruptly, not wanting Leon to remember the other events connected to this chain. It would just make the situation worse, and he didn't need that now.

To his great relief, Leon nodded and finally got up from the floor. You could always bribe the detective with food. Well, almost always.

Sitting down beside him at the table in the kitchen, D decided that the sooner he got over with it, the sooner everything would be alright again.

"Miss Jill and James were here this week. She seems to be able to deal with being a single mother."

Leon smiled affectionately. "Of course she is. Jill's able to deal with everything."

"I guess," D murmured, glancing at the human. "James really is an adorable boy."

"Doesn't look much like Alex, yeah," Leon agreed and took another bite. "He's a cute little fella."

"Well, his godfather will probably taker better care of him than his real father."

Leon grinned. "If Jill wants me to be his godfather, who am I to fuck it up?"

"I never would dream of accusing you not to take care of your charge." D took a deep breath. "And speaking of it, I want another child."

Leon actually dropped fork and knife and stared at him. "What?!"

"I want a second child," the kami repeated patiently. The blonde struggled to grasp his words, mind racing. Thinking about it, there had been plenty of clues. Only that he'd been so busy with his own affairs that he'd never quite noticed, never put them together. Still, the way D had looked at him holding Jill's baby should've been clue enough.

Still...

"Are you crazy, D?" Leon knew he was being rude, but he couldn't help it. What on earth was D thinking? He wouldn't have considered getting a second child had they been getting along fine, like in the first months, and now of all times...

"You can't mean this. I mean, look at us," he sputtered, being more honest in his surprise than he'd intended to. The look on D's face told him what the kami thought about his honesty.

"You once complained that you missed out on so much where Dana is concerned. So if you want to witness the evolution of a kami child, you will have to have another one since I am not able to turn back time," he said stiffly.

The human stared at him. "D, that's not funny. Getting a kid to fix a relationship is a really bad idea. And I'm not saying this because of the shop or anything. It's just a plain bad idea."

D gave back the look. Okay, so he wasn't going to give in either. Leon changed tactics.

"Geez, D, isn't Dana enough adventure for you?" he said warily. "You know, I hadn't exactly planned on starting a new species with you."

"Leon." D reached over the table and took one of Leon's hands in his. It obviously took him a great effort to say the words. "Leon, I need to get another child. I know it might not be the right time, I know that there are some things wrong between us, but believe me, I know what I am asking of you and why."

It had been a long time since D had sounded so much like – like pleading. And it wasn't like D to plead.

It made Leon's instincts roar. He pulled his hand away. "No, D," he said, his voice trembling although he tried to keep it steady. "I don't know what you're up to, but no. I don't want to have another kid that's gotta deal with us both as it's parents. I'm not saying that I'll never want another kid. But not now and not like this."

D turned away abruptly.

"Well, then not," he replied icily and the blonde knew that had been the wrong answer. Sighing, he stood up and embraced his lover from behind. He was stiff and tense all over.

"D, please. Let's talk about getting more kids when I'm done with that thing in New York. I'm not up to another baby right yet," he tried to explain. "And – and when we've been okay with each other for a while. It's just too early…"

"Yes, Leon. Of course."

D didn't sound like he meant it. But Leon didn't want to discuss further and so the matter was dropped completely.

* * *

The human was asleep in his bed beside him. D looked at his unmoving form and cursed himself and him alike for being so stupid. Of course he should have known that it wasn't going to work like that. Leon was just too clever to fall for D's tricks anymore. D had tried to appeal to Leon's faith in him, but that hadn't worked either. And he should've known that, too. Yes, Leon trusted him – trusted him to be up to any mischief imaginable.

D could congratulate himself on sharpening Leon's senses for emotional traps. If it hadn't been for him and his constant lecturing, Leon would've stayed the suspicious detective that still didn't see the danger he got into all the time. But now, D had taught him to be aware of that, heightened his instincts in this area.

He'd done a truly good job. Now he wouldn't even get sex anymore, because Leon would be too suspicious to sleep with him, always fearing that D was up to another trick to get what he wanted in spite of his protest. It was truly a wonder he had even consented to sleep in the same bed with him.

Quiet remorse replaced the anger. What kind of relationship had they begun? What naivety and stupidity alike had possessed them?

He sighed and slipped out of their bed, went to the door that led to Dana's room. Their child was asleep, her thumb securely tucked into her mouth, Lucky, Jilly and Kitty watching over her sleep. D glided into the room, knelt down beside the small bed and petted Dana's hair. The girl sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer. The old, familiar feelings welled up in his heart, but he could feel the other ones as well – the not-so-good feelings, those that threatened both this child's and his own happiness…

There had to be another way. And he had to find it, soon. Before it was too late.

* * *

A/N: I am very short on time at the moment, and this won't get any better during the next weeks. Since the reviews for the last chapter did a quite good job at cheering me up, thank you all for them, and should I find a quiet minute, I will be sure to answer them, but meanwhile, thank you all a lot, especially Christy : ) I hope you had fun with this chapter also... although I'm just wondering how "fun" would have to be defined to warrant usage in this context...

* * *


	16. Thoroughly Confused

**Thoroughly Confused**

As usual when he didn't know what to do or think, Leon asked Jill. His friend listened patiently while he blurted out D's strange wish and his reaction to it. Then she thought for a while, hoisting her baby boy up on her arm.

"You haven't been getting along too well lately," she said at last and made Leon snort.

"That's news, Jill, really! Think I didn't notice that already?"

She looked at him very hard. "What do you fight about the most, huh?"

He squirmed. "We-ell… mostly it's about stupid stuff. You know, like me not calling him every evening although I said I would. But hell, I'm damn tired most of the time! And Chris and my family want some time, too."

"You don't want to talk to him," Jill said.

Leon stared at the wall.

She sighed and rocked Jamie. "Leon… I'm no relationship counsellor. And I don't know D half as good as you do. But he really, really misses you. He's miserable half of the week, and the other half he's overjoyed that he's gonna see you on Friday."

The blonde groaned. "Dammit, Jill, I'm only human! It's fucking stress, flying down and up every friggin' weekend! I'd like to spend one up there sometimes, too. Josie comes home Friday morning, and if I'm lucky, I get to say hello! They're my family, too."

"You ever told him that?" she asked. "I don't think he gets that it's important for you. And I'll admit that it sounds strange to me too. I mean, it's not as if you ever cared that much for your family… How often did you visit them in Long Island before Chris found out? Once every year?"

Leon glumly stared at the wall. His friend sighed, got up and fetched him some whiskey. He gulped it down thankfully.

"Jill, it's… it's much more complicated than you know. It's D, it's the shop, it's the pets… I just don't feel… at home there. It's as if I'm still a guest, one who's staying far longer than he should." He looked at her helplessly. "I can't tell D that! He loves that damn shop, it's his home! And Dana's never lived anywhere else, too. But I'm just – an intruder."

"He knows, if he's asking you for a second baby," Jill replied calmly. Leon didn't look like he understood, so she decided to venture further. "You know, it's simple. You feel left out, because you've missed out on a lot of things that happened in that shop. You've missed out on Dana's whole first two years, and that makes you a stranger although you were there before her."

She smiled shyly. "The Count wants you to take part in the events. He wants you to be there, to live up something together with him. Okay, a baby may not be the best idea, and of course he can never give you Dana's first years, but it would be – similar. You would be able to imagine what it was like."

Leon rolled the whiskey glass between his hands. "I don't know, Jill," he said faintly. "You may be right… but I think there's more to it than just that…" He sighed deeply. "I just can't tell what it is. And D's not gonna tell me either, that's the fucking problem. Dammit, what's he trying to hide from me again? Why does he always have to hide?"

But Jill couldn't answer that question either.

* * *

Chris was looking at him strangely when he returned to the pet shop after his visit at Jill's. Leon groaned inwardly. Not again questions from a child. His little brother had been asking far too many of those in the last few weeks. For example, why Leon didn't call D and Dana every evening anymore. Or why he was always so unhappy when he returned to them after the weekend.

Leon could tell his brother knew what was up. But he really wanted to spare the kid this experience. Just like he wanted to spare Dana the experience of her parents breaking up.

"What's it, buddy?" he asked and sat down beside Chris. The boy stared at the book on his lap.

"Are you going to leave the shop again?" he whispered.

Leon looked around at the pets, seeing it lingering over them, partly human, partly animal. It probably would be for the best if he just moved out. "No, Chris, I'm not going to leave the shop. After all, D and Dana are here."

The younger Orcot swallowed hard. "But you're fighting again with the Count," he said, sounding miserable. "Dana said you're fighting all the time. She cried this morning when she woke up and you weren't here."

"Dammit, Chris." Leon simply lacked the words to explain what had happened to them. He didn't understand either, and he had the feeling that he couldn't understand anyway. Because, just like he'd said to Jill, he didn't know everything that had been going on in the shop. Because D was again keeping things from him, not telling him the truth or leaving out details Leon needed to understand.

Then the strange question yesterday. A second child. Not if hell froze over.

He was still struggling to find words when D appeared in the front room again. He didn't look like he'd gotten much sleep either. By the time Leon had woken, the bed beside him had been empty. So he had sidled out to Jill, hoping that he wouldn't meet D on the way. He'd have liked not to meet his boyfriend the whole day, but that was difficult in a shop where the only places he ever entered were limited to five rooms.

However, D smiled when he saw both brothers sitting on the sofa. "Good morning, Leon," he said, just as if nothing had happened. Leon wasn't sure how to interpret that. Experience had proven that it could mean that D didn't want to fight or that he was just waiting for another remark to start ripping out Leon's throat.

In this case, it proved to be the latter. Although Leon highly suspected, afterwards, that D hadn't anticipated that turn of events either.

Turning to the younger Orcot, the kami smiled at the book in his lap. "What are you reading there, Chris? Do you like it?"

The boy beamed. "Yeah, it's real cool. Sandy gave it to me."

"Miss Sandra gave you a birthday present? That's very nice of her," D replied, his brow wrinkled. Leon tried to hold his brother back, but the boy didn't even realise what he was saying.

"No, she gave it to me for Christmas," he said proudly. "Brother brought her along on Sunday, and she gave it to me."

The silence that followed this statement was so thick Leon was sure he could've cut it with a knife. He nudged his brother. "Chris, go and read Dana a story," he said and the younger looked at him, uncertainty and confusion in his blue eyes.

"But Dana's asleep," he protested, obviously not wanting to leave. But Leon didn't want him to listen to what would come now either.

"Then go to Honlon. Go on, Chris, get outta here. And take your friends along." That was addressed to Pon-chan and Tetsu, who had returned with the Count and were now staring at both adults with wide eyes. "All of them."

General murmur and shuffling followed, then the parlour was empty.

"So, Miss Sandra is currently staying in New York."

"Yeah, her company sent her there when she returned from Spain."

"I assume she arrived shortly before Christmas?"

Leon took a deep breath. "No, she arrived there shortly after I went to New York, too."

D was still looking at his clasped hands. "You met her recently?"

"No, I didn't. I met her the second week I was in New York. We've been drinking a beer every now and then together."

"How strange I can't remember you telling me that." How Leon hated that light tone in D's voice! As if he didn't care at all when he in truth was caring so much it nearly killed him!

"That's because I didn't tell you about Sandy being in NY!" he snapped, wanting to get over with this. Wanting to get to an end somewhere here. If they broke up with each other now, fine, then be it! "I knew you'd be like this if I told you, and I didn't want to feel like a damn traitor for just having a beer with an old friend of mine."

"I would never dream of -"

"Cut it out, D!" Leon screamed, his fist hitting the table. "I'm so damn sick of your lies, I don't want to hear them anymore! Why can't you just tell me what your damn problem is? I know you hate Sandy, I know you don't want me to meet her, I also know you hate me doing training in NY and not being happy about seeing your freak pets as humans! So why don't you just spit it, for fuck's sake?!"

D lost control so rapidly Leon jerked back out of pure reflex. He couldn't remember seeing D this angry ever before.

"Because then _you_ would feel even more imprisoned by me, and perhaps I am not intent on you being unhappy either! Perhaps I don't want to hear your complaints about my shop any more than you want to hear how happy I am that you can finally see this world like I do!"

"See this world like you?! I don't want to see this friggin' world like you do! It creeps me out. I'm just a damn, stupid human, I can't deal with all that fuck, and I don't want to!"

"You don't want to because you don't care about me in the least!"

"That's not true, and you know it! I've done everything for you, I've moved into this shop, I've tried to get used to it, but I just can't!"

"All you've done is created more chaos in here! Do you even know what you are doing to Dana and me by influencing us with your human ways? Can you even imagine what results your presence might have?"

"No, I can't imagine and I can't know either, because no one ever fucking explains anything to me! I'm not a mind-reader like you, I can't just sniff the air and know what's up!"

"You are just too dumb to see what's in front of your eyes the whole time!"

"Well, if I'm so dumb, why don't you just kick me out of the shop and get yourself another lover? I bet that little Shao Lin would be more'n happy to fill in my place. Or you might even ask her mother? Oh, I forgot, she's already married. But I know what, you could send one of your killer animals over and let it take care of the annoying husband. Wouldn't that be a great solution?"

"You don't understand anything!" D yelled at the top of his lungs, looking like he was going to go crazy any moment. Leon was shocked at all those feeling showing in this face. D obviously didn't know what to feel anymore, hatred, anger, pain or love.

Only despair stood out pretty clearly.

Not that Leon cared much for that now. He was just too angry, too wound up. He had to tell D all those things that had built up in those weeks while they had tried to make an impossible relationship work. "Oh yeah, what's it I don't understand again? That I'm not entitled to tell you the same things you always tell me? That you can get at me because I'm meeting Sandy in New York, but you can have that little bitch in here almost every day?! Just say the truth, you love how they're kissing your ass just because you're what you are!" he screamed.

"Don't you dare use that vocabulary in my shop!" D replied just as loudly. His heart was bouncing hard in his chest, but not only because he was angry. He was rejoicing. Rejoicing because he was fighting with Leon. This was absurd.

But it felt so good to finally let the aggressions flow free, to direct them at the one who deserved them, who was the cause for this whole mess in the first place. Without Detective Leon Orcot, D's life would never have reached it's present state of disorder, and despite the part of him that cried that he was going to lose Leon if he continued like this, he heaped reproaches on Leon until he finally ran out of air and words to say.

That was the moment when Leon slammed the door behind him and moved into Jill's apartment.

* * *

The kami had been pretty sure that after their great fight, things would right themselves again. It had always been like this, when they couldn't stand the tension anymore, they fought. And afterwards they still sat down to have a cup of tea.

But this time, Leon didn't return to the shop. He sent Jill over to get a few things and tell Dana and Chris that he still loved them and would pick Chris up Sunday afternoon in time for the flight back to Long Island.

He did exactly like he'd said he would. D only got to see him Sunday afternoon when he had to pry a crying Dana off his leg so that Leon and Chris could leave. Jill stayed with him after they had driven off and cast a searching glance at the young kami. He was much paler than usual, and his eyes had a feverish glint.

"Count, are you alright?" she asked shyly.

He turned burning eyes to her and laughed shakily, handing Dana over to Tetsu and Pon-chan. "I don't know, Miss Jill. Can I be alright after something like this?"

"Leon'll come around," she said and managed to sound convinced. "He's always come around."

"There's a first time for everything," D said with a faint voice and quickly busied himself with the tea service. Jill frantically tried to think of something to take his mind off Leon and finally came up with news from the precinct.

"You know what? LA isn't done yet with strange events. I met Eliza yesterday. Seven people have disappeared in the last week alone. Someone has really set his mind on making the media go crazy in this town."

She would find out, much later, why D stiffened at once hearing that. "Have they?" he asked, voice shaking. "And – does the police have any clues yet who might have done that?"

"No," a surprised Jill answered. "Well, actually, they have one clue: whoever did it used a strange perfume. They haven't found out yet what it is. Some specialist said he's never smelled anything like this in his whole life."

D turned around, the teapot ready in his hand, smiling. "Indeed, a strange occurrence again," he said and poured her a cup. "Let us hope that this chain of strange events is going to end soon."

* * *

The moment the woman had left the shop, D was in the room where he kept his papers and contracts, flipping through the papers anxiously. Tetsu, who'd followed him, stopped in the door and stared at him in disbelief.

"Count, what the hell are you doing?" he cried out, fearing that his master had completed his path to madness. The great, gleaming eyes that now turned to him seemed to indicate such.

"Tetsu, try to remember. I need to know if I sold anyone a pet or a plant that lures its victims with smell."

T-chan wanted to protest against the Count's suspicion, but seeing what information Shuko had relayed to him only recently, he didn't dare, although he prayed to heaven that the Count was wrong. Shuffling into the room, he carefully closed the door so that the other pets wouldn't hear their conversation. It was bad enough that since Sofu's visit there had been rumours spreading through the shop, they didn't need confirmation from the Count's side.

"Well, there was this guy whom you sold that extremely bad-smelling little skunk," he said. The corners of D's mouth twitched into a humourless smile.

"Alluring smell, Tetsu, not the contrary."

"Then there was this woman who got the rose plant," the totetsu continued. "And, talking about plants, you also sold of those terrible meat-eating plants to a guy, I think you called it Nepent or something like this."

"Nepenthes," D whispered and started looking through the papers almost hysterically. "Nepenthes ventricosa. Yes, I sold one to a friend of another customer… what was his name, Tetsu, do you remember his name?"

His voice was so urgent T-chan took pity on him. Kneeling down beside his master, he put his hands on his shoulders and squeezed them. "Count, it's gonna be okay," he said quietly. "I swear, everything's gonna be alright. You're not responsible for what those humans did, no matter what the old bat says. Leon's gonna come around, too. Don't worry."

D's head sank against his shoulder and he shyly embraced his master. "Don't worry. I'm still here. I'm on your side, no matter what happens."

"How could I let all of this happen?" the young kami murmured into his shoulder. "Why did I not see it? I should have known it wouldn't work, I should have trusted Leon and Grandfather. I should have prevented all of this."

"Ssh, Count, calm down. No one's perfect. You just did what everyone does when he's afraid to lose someone he loves. You tried to hold him. It's not your fault."

"He is going to leave me forever. What am I going to do, Tetsu? I cannot live without him. I cannot."

"You can and you will," the totetsu said decidedly. "You know that you can."

"I don't want to think, Tetsu. I don't want to think anymore. Why did it get so complicated? We were so happy."

It hurt to tell his desperate master this, but he had to. "You were happy because you didn't want to see the problems, Count. I know you think everything was perfect after Dana's birthday, but it wasn't. You just chose to ignore your differences."

"I made so many mistakes," the young kami breathed, barely holding back his tears. Tetsu squeezed him another time.

"Doesn't matter. We are all fools in love. That goes for human, animal and kami as well. Don't tax your head. Just get on. You can still get it right, I know it. You can get everything right."

D took a deep breath and straightened again. "Ali Abdoullah," he said. Tetsu smiled at him appreciatively.

"See, I knew you can do it," he said and handed D the phone. The kami dialled in the number of the precinct.

"Good day. There is a chance that a man named Ali Abdoullah is behind the disappearance of seven persons last week. His address is 43 Mason Street. My name? Of course."

He hung up. Tetsu was still smiling at him. "Okay, what now?" he asked. D straightened his shoulders. "Now I will find out if Shao Lin was just in this shop by chance or if there really is something more to her offer of babysitting Dana."

* * *

It just took another phone call and a wait of twenty minutes until the girl appeared in the shop. D offered her a cup of tea and some cake, sent the pets out and sat down, too, scrutinising his guest. "Lin-san, I am sorry if I am being impolite," he began and saw how she flinched. A resigned expression appeared on her face.

"It's about my mother, isn't it?" she asked, looking at her hands. "I am sorry for everything she's done, no matter what. Please believe me, I am not at all happy about her plans. But I cannot support myself wholly on my own, and my mother will find ways to keep my father from supporting me if I should not concede to her wishes..."

"So you have been sent here in order to make me fall in love with and marry you?" D inquired sharply, trembling with fury, but keeping his outer calm. Lin nodded, looking miserable.

"I am so sorry, Count D, please believe me! I do not want to marry – nothing against you – but I just don't want to! I want to go to Europe and study."

Silence fell in the parlour. D tapped his lip with one finger. For a moment he missed the feel of the long nail. No matter how long they were already gone, he was still missing them sometimes.

"You tried to make my daughter your accomplice," he said then, sounding perfectly cold and calm. The girl's head snapped up and she stared at him with pleading eyes.

"No! I assure you, I just offered to baby-sit because – well, because as long as I spend some time in the shop my mother will not get suspicious! And I like Dana-chan so very much, Count D, I really do! I also like Detective Orcot. I would never dream of using Dana-chan like that!"

Her voice definitely trembled, and she could barely suppress a sob. D regarded her in silence. True, she had helped him a lot, now that Jill was busy with her own child and couldn't baby-sit Dana anymore. He owed her at least that, if nothing else.

"Lin-san, I am afraid I must ask you not to come to the shop anymore," he finally said. "I do believe that you didn't intend to bring trouble to me and my family, but I cannot say that I want to trust you with my child anymore. Please do not take this personal, but I have made my intentions clear to your mother, and continuing to receive you would mean giving her hopes for her impudent plans."

Lin nodded slowly, but held his gaze. "I am sorry," she repeated. "And – and in case you should ever need a baby-sitter again, well... I will tell my mother that I will not take part in her plans anymore."

D bowed his head and watched as she gathered her things and left the shop. Then he sighed, half in relief, half in exasperation. Now this was done, too, now Leon couldn't say anymore that he was encouraging them to make undue advances. If he managed to get these things done, he could also find a way to fix his relationship with Leon.

A stomach-churning premonition took hold of him, made him shudder. It seemed to be so easy all of a sudden.

* * *

A/N: I'm tired. Thank you for the reviews, and please don't mind me postponing individual answers yet again. I've got exams tomorrow.

So long, Enaty

* * *


	17. Fucked It Up

**Fucked It Up**

Sandy was waiting for him in front of the precinct like every Monday in their lunch break. Usually she received a hug and a smile, but this time Leon just went past her, saying "Let's go to the diner round the corner. I'm hungry."

She caught up with her friend quickly. "You had trouble with D again?" she asked quietly and got a deep sigh as an answer. Which totally qualified as "yes".

"We've got a kid, Sandy."

"Yeah, I know."

Leon sighed deeply again. "I can't break up with him. It's gonna break Dana's heart. And Chris's, too."

Sandy said nothing. She just put her arm through Leon's and they made their way to their usual diner in silence.

His mood lightened up once they were inside. Food was a pretty good way to pick himself up. Leon ordered first and then watched Sandy flirting with the young man at the counter, grinning to himself.

Finally he nudged the woman. "Hey, Sandy, your food's getting cold," he said, grinning. "Or d'you want me to eat it? I can do that, no problem."

Sandy quickly brought her plate out of Leon's reach. "No thanks, Orcot, I think I'm still hungry, and if you start to eat, I can starve to death," she replied. The waiter winked at Leon and turned back to his duties. "So, it's back to LA in two weeks, ain't it?"

"Mm." Leon made a non-committal sound and took another bite. Truth be told, he didn't even want to think of returning to LA this weekend. He'd not heard a word from D since and hadn't called the kami either. He hated to think what he'd probably told the kid to explain why Daddy wasn't calling anymore. D, that little bastard…

"You know, I used to scream at my ex until I was all calm again," Sandy suggested and was rewarded with a raised eyebrow.

"That's why you don't have any male friends except me. No thanks, I'd like to be able to talk to D still. And I don't want to break up with him, I've told you that."

"No, you want to," Sandy insisted. The door to the diner was opened behind them and someone brought in another wave of cold air. Involuntarily Leon shuddered and tucked his jacket closer around himself. "Leon, I know how to read those signs. You're telling yourself that you don't want to break up with him because you feel responsible for your kid. But you know that it's already a lost cause, I …"

"Hands up everybody!" someone shouted from behind. A girl behind them shrieked in fear, as well as some other people in the room. Sandy and Leon spun round, the latter pulling out his gun at once and letting himself fall out of reach.

"I said HANDS UP!" the young man screamed, his voice clearly taking on a hysterical note. The shot rang through the air and hit the coffee pot. The liquid spilled everywhere.

"Hey buddy, don't freak out! Everything's okay, no one's gonna hurt you!" Sandy called from behind a table she'd quickly overturned. Leon was hiding behind the corner of the counter. The attacker's eyes swayed uncertainly between them. Their composure made him uncertain.

"I'm telling you, I mean it!" he yelled. "I just want the money, nothing more! So leave me alone, and no one'll get hurt!"

"Put that gun down, boy, we can talk about everything." Sandy's voice was calm and commanding. "No one's going to hurt you either if you don't do something stupid. Put it down."

A small sobbing sound to his right made Leon glance in that direction. A six-year-old girl had crawled under the table and was now sobbing in fear. Leon smiled at her, trying to calm her down. "Don't move, honey, everything'll be alright," he murmured.

The attacker was swaying back and forth now, he could see him wavering. Just another second…

"Mommy!"

The girl shrieked and jumped out under the table to run to her mother, who had just appeared behind the door to the toilet and was making desperate signals.

"Down!" Leon yelled, heard the shots, jumped up.

He could never forget what it felt like being hit by a bullet. The impact, somehow far away, how every nerve that got touched sent a spark to his brain and then, finally, the pain…

He heard other shots as he fell to the floor, burying the child beneath him. His breath was coming in gasps, and he knew something wasn't okay, because no matter how much he tried to breathe, he just couldn't get enough air into his lungs, and with the last woozy part of his brain he thought drowning had to feel like this.

Sandy's voice came from far off, but as Leon closed his eyes, he couldn't think of anything but "Hell, I hope that asshole's dead!"

* * *

The young kami jerked up on his place on the sofa and looked around in panic. But all he was seeing was the shop's parlour, like he knew it. Nothing was out of the ordinary, the pets were lounging on every available spot and talking to each other or dozing.

Shaking his head, D stood and poured himself another cup of tea. He'd been up until the early morning hours, trying to take his mind off Leon and their fight with the help of paperwork. And then he'd taken care of his child and opened the shop.

As if on cue, the girl came running from the back. "Bàbà, Kanan won't play with me!" she complained. D smiled and scooped her up.

"Well, it's her right to want her peace, Dana. You know that other people need that, too."

"But she won't wake up!" Dana pouted. "And I tried and tried, but she doesn't wake up! Shuko told me to leave her alone, but Kanan knows where Lucky is, and I want Lucky back!"

He wanted to answer, but for some unexplainable reason, the words got stuck in his mouth. So instead, D sat Dana down and then went to the Crystal Palace, inexplicably worried about his elder daughter. When he opened the door, the room was quiet. Junrei was humming to herself and playing with a ball, Shuko was watching her sister with a smile and Kanan was asleep. Just like Dana had said.

"Kanan?" the young kami inquired, his worry increasing instead of diminishing. "Shuko, why is Kanan still asleep?"

The eldest dragon head turned and she scrutinised her father. "I do not know, Count," she said. "But she has been asleep for hours. I think she had a nightmare sometime during this night, she trashed around for quite some time. She's probably catching up sleep."

"Yes, she woke me up!" Junrei chimed in and pouted for a moment. "And she hasn't apologised yet!" Then her interest in the conversation faded and she returned to her ball while Shuko glanced at the Count. His hands were gripped tightly.

"Are you sure she is alright?" he said quietly. Shuko came forward and nudged him gently.

"Don't worry, Count," she replied. "Just because Kanan's sleeping in doesn't mean something has happened to Leon. Their connection may be strong, but not that strong."

D bit his lip and refused to acknowledge the fact that it depended on what had happened to Kanan's father. Yes, a small event would not touch the dragon. But if it was something worse, something life-threatening, there might be a chance that…

He forced himself to stop thinking about that. Leon was in training, not in actual service at New York. Why should something happen to him there? It was just silly to assume that.

"Get back to Dana and feed her, she's waiting for you. She needs your attention now," Shuko said softly. "She needs reassurance at the moment, both from you and Leon."

The young kami sighed deeply and nodded, hearing the unspoken words. "We will talk soon," he whispered. "I will ask Leon to talk."

* * *

Jill arrived at the shop in the afternoon and sat down in the parlour, reading a book to Dana while D laid James down in her old cradle. When a customer came in, he took him to the back, noticing Jill's questioning glance at his back. She was probably asking herself if the customers had anything to do with his and Leon's fight.

Once he was gone, D checked in on the dragon. Kanan was still asleep and moving restlessly in her sleep. Shuko, though, wasn't overly worried. She tried to calm her father down. But D was edgy too, he couldn't concentrate properly on any of his customers, and when he closed the shop to take a break with Jill and Dana, he almost broke his teapot preparing some jasmine tea. While he cleaned up the spilled liquid, he felt Jill's eyes on his back.

"Is something the matter?" she finally asked carefully, apparently not sure if she should dare to. D sighed deeply and poured her a new cup. Dana sat beside her aunt and watched him, too, blue-golden eyes confused.

"Bàbà is strange today," she told Jill earnestly.

The woman smiled and patted her head. "Adults can have bad days, too, Dana," she said, then turned her attention to James whom she was just feeding. "For example when they've had a bad night. Perhaps your bàbà had a bad night?"

The young kami smiled and shook his head, finally sitting down himself. "No, that's not it," he confessed silently. "I haven't had a good night in some weeks, but I do not need much sleep anyway. It's –" he hesitated, not sure what Jill knew and what would be too much for her. He'd seen Leon's reaction to the shop and its inhabitants, and the blonde knew what D truly was. Jill had no idea. A notion, perhaps, but no real knowledge.

"It's Leon," he said, deciding on not mentioning Kanan. "There's something wrong with him, at least I believe so."

"How can you know?" the woman asked flatly. "He's in NY. Or has anyone called?"

"No." D shook his head and looked at his tightly gripped hands. "It's just a feeling. I cannot explain what it is. But I know that something is not like it should be…"

His gaze caught Dana and he smiled at his child. "Darling, why don't you go and play with Junrei?"

The girl pouted. "I don't want to," she started to object, but her father was quite firm.

"I want to talk to Miss Jill, Dana. Alone. Please go and play with Junrei. She will be happy to see you."

Pon-chan came forth and helped Dana climb down from the sofa, guided her to the back. Jill watched them with a frown. "You know, I've seen it so many times, but it's still a strange sight. You're done, Jamie?" she asked the baby and hoisted James up to pat his back. The boy burped and his head fell to rest on his mother's shoulder. She let him while she righted her clothes again.

"Probably," D agreed faintly, watching her go through the familiar movements. "Leon would agree with you, without any doubt."

She sighed and placed her baby on her lap, rocking him gently. "Why in all heavens did you start fighting so much lately? I mean, you've always been fighting, sure, but this – it's getting mean between you two. Sorry if I'm poking around in personal matters, but – you're my best friends…"

D's hands moved restlessly. "Leon is afraid of the shop," he said, looking down at them. "He does not feel at home in here. Or perhaps he feels trapped, I cannot say. But he is not happy." His voice got confused. "I do not understand either. He has already lived at the shop before he gave up his apartment, and he wasn't unhappy then. What have I done wrong?"

"He certainly was pretty angry at you when he came Saturday evening," Jill said. "He said something – that you were just jealous like hell, wouldn't let him have his own life and didn't keep your promises."

The young kami sighed. "I do not doubt that for Leon it looks like I'm not keeping my promises," he whispered. "But it's not true. I have kept the promise I gave him, at a very high cost for me. "

Jill sighed, too, and rested her head in her hands. "And I thought Alex and I were complicated," she said. "But we're amateurs compared to you and Leon. What's it with you two that you always get everything wrong? It can't be that difficult, really. You love each other, everyone can tell. Only you can't, apparently."

"I think I may have overstrained Leon with my demands to accommodate to the new situation," D said, sounding remorseful.

The woman shook her head. "Don't even start blaming yourself for something Leon fucked up," she advised. "He really sucks at relationship things. That wasn't any different with any other of his girlfriends. I've told him so many times he shouldn't take it out on them when he feels overtaxed."

The corners of D's mouth twitched humourlessly. "Excuse me if I doubt that any of his former relationships was as difficult as this is."

"Still," Jill insisted. "He's just not able to deal with the fact that he's gotta talk to his partner if he's got a problem. Sure, he gets into a fit about everything he hates in his relationship, but he never says why."

"But I knew he is like this." D's voice was very quiet, but also angry. "Why did I have to ask him for a second child, now of all times, when he was already so insecure in the shop? I should have known better."

"You have to talk to him. Soon. If necessary, tie him to your bed and talk to him. But it can't stay like this. Even if you'll have to split up for a while, dunno, one or two months to get accustomed to the new situation, you've got to do something."

D's black head moved in a nod. He started to talk, closed his mouth and stared at his hands, curling and uncurling in his silk-clad lap.

The woman watched him carefully and taxed her brain to find some strategy that might work with those two. But it wasn't that easy. Most of the time she refused to acknowledge the fact that D wasn't quite human. She didn't know what exactly was the matter with him and the shop, Leon had never told her much about the night D had disappeared, only that he'd been there and rescued him from his father. But she knew for a fact that there was something about D that Leon had problems dealing with. She could pinpoint the days on which he thought, really _thought_, about D and the pet shop. She could tell by the unease in his body. But she'd never asked if Leon's suspicion was true. If D really killed humans by selling them strange pets. If yes, it would explain a lot. Perhaps she should've asked…

The phone rang and D took the receiver, his hand shaking a little. Jill tried not to curse and instead hugged Jamie. If nothing happened, Leon and D were going to break up with each other. Very soon, and for real, not only to take a break. Probably the next time Leon came home.

If only something would happen that would change their minds…

"Count D's pet shop, how may I help you?"

She heard the kami's voice from far away, being encased in her thoughts as she was, and it took her a moment to realise that the sudden noise had been the receiver dropping to the floor. D stared down on it, his face ghostly white, the mismatched eyes wider than she'd ever seen, his whole expression desperately screaming "NO!" although no sound came from his lips.

Cold fear gripped Jill's heart, but she took the receiver up alertly. _I didn't mean it to come true! I didn't want anything to happen to them!_

"Jill Freshney, who's there? What's the matter?" she asked, trying to stay calm. The voice at the other end was that of a woman, foreign, yet somehow familiar. If Leon would have been a woman, he might have sounded like that.

"Detective Freshney? Are you Leon's friend? I'm Mary Johnson, Leon's aunt." The woman was obviously in shock, her words tumbled and hesitated as if not sure what to say. Jill swallowed dryly, not daring to look at the kami, who'd glided to the floor without making a sound, hiding his face in his hands.

"Yes, that's me. What's the matter? What's with Leon? Why are you calling?"

The next words drove fiery bolts through her heart.

"Leon has been shot. I thought I should call. Where's the Count?"

Jill swallowed again, looking at her friend. He'd started to hug himself and rock back and forth. Her voice nearly crumbled with the next words. "He's – not able to talk to you at the moment. Is Leon – dead?"

"No." The distant voice sounded near collapse too. "He's in the hospital. He had surgery and is comatose at the moment. The doctors said they don't know if he'll live."

"No!" Only when she heard the half-sob echo in the silent parlour did Jill realise that she'd been the one to cause it. She clung to James so hard the boy's face contorted, and grabbed the receiver hard.

"I'm sorry," Mary's voice said faintly. "I really wish I wouldn't have to do this. But they called me, and I just thought – I mean, they're a couple… she should know…"

White hands grabbed Jill's arm and she almost shrieked in shock. The Count's eyes were feverish. "I have to go to him!" he cried. "I've got to see Leon!"

"Is that the Count?" Mary asked, sounding careful.

Jill nodded, then remembered the woman was on the phone and answered. "Yes, it's him. What's the name of the hospital?"

"St. Frances in Brooklyn. Why? Will she come?"

Jill thought she could make out something strange in the other woman's voice, weary and confused, as if she expected D to come to NY, but was on the other hand afraid he would come. Not her concern, though.

"Yes, he will. He's gonna take the next flight leaving for NY. Can you pick him up at the airport and bring him to St. Frances? I'll call you once I know when he's gonna arrive there."

"But –" A soft sigh. Jill waited, her face set tight. D stared at her, his lips moving with silent words. She'd never seen him like this, and it frightened her to the core of her very being. D wasn't one who should be frightened like that. He wasn't supposed to feel like this. But he did, and for some reason she felt like it would kill him if she didn't do anything about it.

"… Yes. Call me again when you know more."

"Thanks, Mrs. Johnson. I suppose you know who Count D is?"

"I will recognise her, believe me." The voice became hard and almost fiendish. Jill ignored it, said goodbye and put the receiver down. D's eyes were pleading.

"I'll take care of Dana and the shop. Don't worry. You can go to see Leon," she told him softly, as if talking to a cornered animal.

He nodded and seemed to come to himself again a bit. "Yes. Thank you, Miss Jill. I shall pack some things…"

Jill squeezed his hand and sent him off to the back. He looked so lost and fragile, disappearing behind the curtain into the mysterious back of the shop. _It should not be this way. _

Decidedly the woman stood and hoisted Jamie up. "Let's go look for Dana. And then let's call the airport," she whispered to her boy and set out to do what she could.

* * *

A/N: I know it's hot outside, I'm fried, too. I'm still taking the time, in between my exams, two essays and my removal, to put up a new chapter for you. I also know that it's difficult to keep track of stories as long as this, and that it tends to get boring if nothing "earth-shaking" happens every chapter, but the point about my stories has always been that I try to let tension slowly rise. So please, even if it's to tell me this is getting boring, leave me some feedback, because I'm getting the feeling you're not interested in this anymore, and if this is so, I can use the time I need to re-read and lay-out each new chapter better at the moment, and then this'll be on hiatus until I do have spare time again.

* * *


	18. Tell Me What to Do

**Tell Me What to Do**

The flight had arrived at the airport. The passengers should be deboarding by now.

Mary Johnson dried her hands on her trousers and watched the area nervously. _I suppose you know who Count D is?_ What a stupid question. Of course she knew who this woman was. How should she not know her, with Chris and Leon talking about her all the time, always with that enrapt smile on their faces. Mary hated it. She hated the talk even more. She'd never wanted to see her again, but apparently, now she would also be forced to take her into her home. What else was she supposed to do with the woman coming to New York to be by Leon's side?

Mary's heart contracted painfully at the thought of her nephew. If it wasn't for him, she would be home in bed, sleeping peacefully until the alarm clock rang and she had to wake Chris and Sam for school. Arthur wasn't home, he was on a business trip. Thank god for small mercies. She wanted her husband to be by her side to help her dealing with this, but she knew too well what Arthur thought about the Count. And she couldn't resist Jill's request… just couldn't…

The fancy silken garment was visible from far away. Count D would always stick out, no matter what. Mary gritted her teeth, wiped her hands again and went to meet her. The strangely coloured eyes spotted her at once, and she hurried over, the uncharacteristic haste causing even more glances. But Count D couldn't care less at the moment.

"Mrs. Johnson. How is he?" she asked, the words taking a lot of effort. Mary was glad that she was holding on to her battered suitcase with both hands. So she didn't have to shake hands with her.

The knuckles were white. But so were her own.

"His condition hasn't changed since I called you," she said, hoping that she managed to keep her voice in check. To hide her animosity, she quickly turned and began walking to the car. "You can visit him in the morning when the hospital opens."

A hand gripped her arm, so hard she gasped. The eyes were wild, the strange colours sending a shiver down Mary's spine. "I've got to see Leon," the Count said, and her voice tolerated no opposition. Mary stared, unable to pry herself loose of her gaze. She stared back, the violet and gold sucking in Mary's soul.

Then the Count shook herself and smiled apologetic, glanced away. "I am sorry, Mrs. Johnson. But I have got to see Leon right now," she repeated softly, but the woman heard the command behind the words alright.

"Are you crazy?" she protested. "Do you have any idea how late it is? I've got two children who've gotta go to school in a few hours, and East Hampton is a long way off!"

"Please," the Count said softly.

Mary felt her resistance melt. "They won't let you in," she grumbled, but continued her way to the car, scolding herself for giving in to her. What was it to Leon if she came this night or tomorrow morning?

Something in those strange eyes had seemed familiar. Just a glimpse, Mary couldn't say what exactly it had been, but she'd seen it in there, and she just couldn't deny her that wish, just like she hadn't been able to deny Jill's request…

The Count was silent the whole way to the hospital. She stared out of the window, but didn't do anything else. It was almost as if she was completely absorbed in thoughts. But sometimes Mary caught a slight turn of head, or a soft sound, and she knew that the woman was sighing, perhaps even crying.

Not that she actually saw her do that. No, the Count seemed to be all cool on the outside. But those little signs …

She didn't get how the Count got them into the hospital, much less how she charmed the nurse into letting them go to the ICU to see Leon. Fact was, approximately twenty minutes after she'd parked the car, they were standing in front of the room Leon and his machines were occupying, and she witnessed the Count swaying as if she was going to drop to the floor any second.

Which wasn't what Mary wanted at all.

To her great relief, the Chinese managed to stay upright, but she clawed her fingers into the glass window that separated Leon from the rest of the world. Mary was ready to believe that those nails would get through, although they were a lot shorter than she remembered. If she had believed in such stuff, she would also have suspected her of bewitching the unconscious man in the room. The words she was whispering definitely were scaring.

"Mrs. Johnson, what are you doing here at this time of the day?"

The voice made Mary spin around. She took a deep breath to calm her hammering heart when she recognised Doctor McCoy.

"Doctor. Ah, I – this is my nephew's girlfriend, she just arrived from Los Angeles and wanted to see him…" Mary trailed off. She didn't know how to explain how they'd gotten into the ICU at half past two in the morning.

The man looked at the Count, who didn't deign him with any kind of attention. "She?" he asked, doubt in his voice, and Mary blushed.

"As far as I know, she."

McCoy took a step closer to the Chinese. "Miss, please, I can understand your worry, but he'll be alright. You won't change his condition by spending your time here."

The Count spun round so fast Mary only realised that she was now facing the doctor when she'd spoken the first few words. Or better, hissed the first few words.

"I will not leave his side, no matter if you force me or not!"

McCoy stared at her. The Count looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but at the same time, she was ready to fight to stay here with Leon.

"Miss, calm down," the man finally said. "Your boyfriend was hurt very badly. He is comatose. You should go home and sleep, then you can come again tomorrow. I promise he won't have died until then."

It was as if he'd flipped some kind of switch. The Count's posture changed. She straightened and smiled, a smile so fake Mary shuddered.

"You cannot promise that, Doctor. For all your machines and technology, you cannot hold someone in life if he doesn't want to be alive. Let me stay here. I have to be with him."

McCoy looked at Mary, but she only shrugged. It would be one night less the Count would be spending at her house.

Sighing, the doctor gave in. "Only today, and only because you somehow managed to get inside," he warned and opened the door to Leon's room. The Count stepped inside, swaying again and looking paler than before.

Then she had reached Leon's bedside and sat down on a chair McCoy offered her. Hesitantly she extended a hand and took Leon's in hers.

McCoy and Mary withdrew. "Pick her up tomorrow morning, we can't have her staying in there the whole time," McCoy said quietly and sent a last glance at the unmoving figure beside Leon's bed. "God…"

Mary whole-heartedly agreed.

* * *

It was due to Chris that Mary finally got into her car and drove back to Brooklyn to pick up the Count. She'd sent the kids off to school, then prepared a room for the Count, then she had cooked, done the laundry, done everything she could think off until Sam and Chris returned from school and the boy asked her about the Count's whereabouts.

So Mary gritted her teeth and went to get her, hours after McCoy had told her to come and fetch her.

The Count hadn't moved at all. She was still sitting right where Mary had left her the night before, holding Leon's hand, staring at him with wide mismatched eyes. And looking scared out of her mind.

It was just Mary's luck that she met McCoy in front of Leon's room again. He nodded by way of greeting, but didn't say anything about her being late. "She has to be frozen," he said instead. "I've started to doubt she's even breathing."

Mary swallowed hard. "You think I'm gonna get her out?" she asked and McCoy shook his head.

"We tried. This morning, the nurses, right before I checked in on him. No way she was leaving. We barely got her to stand up so that I could do my work. Doesn't want anything to eat, doesn't want anything to drink, doesn't want to sleep, doesn't even want a more comfortable chair." He sent Mary a sharp glance. "I've been working in this place for years now. I never came across anything remotely like this. People don't want to stay in here, usually. Most can't deal with their loved ones lying in here. Oh sure, they come visit, but they make it short. They can't deal with sickness and death anymore."

Mary doubted that sickness and death were something the Count couldn't deal with. She doubted it was something she cared about, ever. "How is Leon?" she asked instead of voicing that.

McCoy shrugged. "A little better since yesterday. Not going to wake up soon, though, if you ask me. So, you got any idea how to get her out? My nurses are starting to freak."

She took a deep breath. "Well, I might have a way. I know children under twelve aren't allowed in here, but if my son bade her come out, she might…"

The doctor sighed again. "You can try. He's not missing any body parts, so it's not really scary. If you think your son can handle this…"

They exchanged a glance and she read in the man's eyes that he was more worried about how the Count was handling the situation than any kid. So she went and fetched Chris.

* * *

D didn't even notice the door opening again behind him. He'd grown accustomed to it being opened and closed every now and then, usually to let in a nurse who would ask him to leave the room while she was doing something to his lover. Which D at once declined. He wouldn't leave Leon unprotected, alone, in here.

"Count?" a quivering voice asked.

The kami could barely believe his eyes when the younger Orcot suddenly was beside him, looking at his brother with watery eyes. "Is brother going to die?" he whispered, fear in his voice.

Cold fear crashed down on D at those words. He'd rejected the idea of Leon dying the whole night and most of the day, clinging on to the sound of his heartbeat. Leon could not die. It was just not an option.

Now, in front of this innocent child, D's walls cracked. He took a deep, shuddering breath, tried to tell the boy that Leon wasn't going to die and found he could not speak. So instead he embraced the child, hiding his head in Chris's shoulder and fought down the tears.

He could not be weak.

"Count? What's the matter?" Chris started crying. "Is brother going to die? Mom says you can't stay here, you have to come back home with us. Can't you make brother okay again?"

_I would give everything I have if I could only make him open his eyes again._

D shook his head, the pain overpowering. He knew he was probably squeezing Chris far too hard for a human boy, but he couldn't change it. He was the only real thing in this room at the moment, and D clung to him like a lifeline.

* * *

Mary watched the events inside with a wrinkled brow, biting her lip. She wasn't happy at all, but she didn't know what else to do. The Count wouldn't leave Leon's side if no one convinced her to. And she wanted to have her away from Leon. As much as she wished that she could help Leon, as much did she hate the thought of Leon being dependant on her.

And she also hated to use Chris like this. But the boy succeeded in his task, after nearly half an hour. The Count finally left Leon's room, hesitating in the door and looking back, but Chris tugged at her hand and led her outside. "Please, Count, come with us," he begged and the Chinese complied.

It was the longest drive Mary had ever experienced. The Count had chosen to sit in the back beside Chris rather than beside her and kept Chris's hand in hers the whole time. At first the boy tried to get her to speak, but when he only received headshakes and nods, he gave up and instead snuggled to the strange Chinese. It seemed to calm her, at least her face lost some of the tension that had appeared the moment she left Leon's room.

Mary wanted this day to be over. That was why she sent Chris and Sam off to bed right after dinner and then showed their new guest the little guest room, praying the whole time that she would soon be able to just fall into her bed and sleep. Forget for some time.

The Count stepped inside the small room and looked around, taking it in. "Thank you," she said quietly and even managed a smile when she turned back to face Mary. "I am very grateful for everything you're doing for me…"

She shrugged, trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling at the same time. "Leon's my nephew. If you can help him by being here, well, fine," she replied curtly.

The Count bowed her head. "… Yes. Thank you."

"Well, goodnight then." Mary turned and stepped outside, carefully closing the door behind her. She went to Chris' room and made sure the boy was asleep, then told Sam it was time for bed also. While her daughter shuffled to the bathroom, Mary suddenly remembered that she'd completely forgotten to give the Count some towels. She'd surely need them.

So she took some from the wardrobe, electing the real good ones. It wasn't going to impress her, being rich like she was, but Mary could offer Chris and Leon some luxury, too. The bathroom door opened and closed, and the woman sighed softly. At least she could slip into the guest room unnoticed now. Thank god for small mercies.

But when she opened the door, she realised that she'd made a miscalculation. The bathroom door opening had been Sam leaving the bath, not the Count going in. She was sitting on her bed, the silken dress flowing from her hands to the floor, chest naked and head bent.

Mary stopped dead in her tracks. The Count's head flew up, she stared with wide strange eyes and then hastily covered her chest with the silk. "I – thought you needed perhaps some towels," Mary stuttered and placed them on a chair.

A faint blush crept up in the Count's cheeks, making her look like a sick porcelain doll. "Thank you," she replied politely.

Mary pointed. "The bathroom is free now, Sam just went to bed," she added, cursed herself and hastily left the room to take cover in her own bedroom.

The Count left the room. Steps hesitantly walked by her door. The bathroom door closed and a moment later, the shower started running. Mary pressed a hand to her heart and tried to take deep breaths. For the time being, she was safe from a confrontation with – him.

* * *

By all rules of nature the gaze must've burned through his clothes and skin right into his body. But when D noticed after about an hour that someone was watching him from outside, his clothes showed no hole nor any sign of burns.

Slowly he turned and looked straight into familiar brown eyes. Sandra quickly lowered her head and turned around, started to leave.

D was out of Leon's room in a second.

"I didn't want this to happen!" Sandy's voice sounded like she was close to tears when he reached her and forced her to face him. "We were just having lunch, and suddenly this guy came inside and pulled out his gun, and we all got cover, and I nearly had him lay down his gun, but then that little girl started to run through the diner and he shot…"

"You were there?" D inquired, trembling.

Sandy nodded, sobbing quietly now. "I am so sorry. I know what you think about me, but I swear, I didn't have anything with Leon. We just met for lunch every now and then, or for a beer."

"I know," the young kami assured her, trying to breathe without crying himself. "I do not think badly of you, Miss Sandra."

"Will he survive?" Sandy grabbed his arms so hard he could feel his muscles protest. "Can you make him survive? Because if yes, do whatever you have to do. Please."

It occurred to D, somewhere in his woozy brain, that he should be the one saying such to someone else, not she.

"I can't do anything…"

She let go of his arm and blew her nose. "I'm sorry. It's just, well, you know what Leon says about you…"

"I am not the person Leon thinks I am." D felt cold. He could not even begin to face the consequences of this statement.

Sandra looked at him for another long moment. "Do you mind me stopping by?"

D declined, shaking his head. "Come whenever you want to, Miss Sandra. I will probably be here, too."

"If you need a place to stay at…"

He managed a smile. "Thank you, but no. Leon's aunt has kindly taken me into her house."

Sandy nodded slowly. "Still. If you get fed up with her, just gimme a call." She slipped a little piece of paper into his hand and then left him alone again. D stared at it and finally put it into his pocket. He did not intend to make use of her offer. The only place he wanted to be at the moment was Leon's side.

* * *

A/N: Today is Sunday, which in a lot of countries is a sacred day and also a day where you do what you usually don't have time to, i.e., spend time with your family or go on a walk or whatever. And since it's almost been a month since I updated this, I decided to do it today. I'm still not sure if it's worth the bother - anyway, I know that some of you are waiting for an update, so thank you very much for your faith to this series and me. I will try to honour it, and now that I finished moving I should be able to update regularly again.

Thank you :)


	19. Meeting the Family

**Meeting the Family**

He didn't care to count the days going by, each the same. Breakfast with the Johnson family, seeing the children off to school, then driving to the hospital and spending the rest of the day there until Doctor McCoy made him leave Leon in the evening again.

His mind still supplied him with the exact number of days this strange agreement worked. Four. Then the Johnson's eldest daughter, Josie, came home from university. The same evening, when Mary came back with him, Arthur Johnson arrived from his business trip, worried already by his wife's tales and angry at the sudden rise in population in his house.

But he was polite, at least until after dinner, which was very quiet, although Chris and Sam tried to lighten up the mood with telling stories from school. But finally they silenced, too, staring at their plates. Arthur Johnson cleared his throat.

"So, you are my nephew's new boyfriend, Mr…"

"I am usually called Count D," the young kami supplied, not looking up from his plate with salad.

"Dad, I want to make a trip to Europe with my friends during the summer," Josie interrupted, but her father ignored her.

"And do you plan to marry anytime? You child would be better off if it was legal. Where is she, by the way?"

"California does not allow marriage between people of the same sex, Dad." Josie didn't seem to be very inclined to let herself be ignored and earned a surprised glance from D. "What about that trip, now? Would you let me go?"

"We can talk about that another time, Josephine. And, if I am not mistaken, this would not be an objection here. At least in case that child is really yours."

"Dana is Leon's and my biological daughter, if you are asking this." D stubbornly kept his eyes on his plate.

"And where is she?" Arthur Johnson demanded and looked around the room pointedly. "Do you often leave your kid alone like you did with my nephew?"

"Arthur," Mary spoke up, sending both her husband and daughter a reprimanding glance. "I am sure Dana is seen to."

"Nice trick, anyway, to name her after my sister-in-law." The man wouldn't let go, D knew he wouldn't. He didn't want to fight with him. He just wanted to go to his room and spend another sleepless night there until he could return to Leon tomorrow morning.

"It was not my intention to name our daughter after Leon's mother. I chose the name for other reasons. She is currently staying at Leon's best friend, whom I trust to take care of her. The reason for me leaving Los Angeles three years ago was not in any way related to your nephew."

"Of course not. But you were pregnant with her then, were you not?"

"Arthur, it's enough," Mary hissed and started collecting the dishes. "Chris, would you please put the ketchup back into the fridge?"

The boy did as he was told, glancing at his father and the Count frightened. Josie wasn't as willing to keep her mouth shut, a striking resemblance to her cousin.

"And since when is any of this your business, Dad?" she asked defiantly. "Even if Leon and the Count quarrelled and split up, it's their business, not yours."

The man's brow wrinkled. D hastily stood up. "Thank you very much for the dinner, Mrs. Johnson," he said quietly. "If you allow, I will go to rest now."

Mary nodded and half smiled at him, but at the same time glanced at her family worriedly. Josie and her father were staring at each other fiendishly.

The shouting started only a few seconds after D had reached his room. He sat there in the darkness and listened to the fight downstairs, lips tightly pressed together, trying not to think.

"You want to throw him out on the street? Dad, that's just plain mean! You can't do that, he looked after Chris for a whole year!"

He could picture Josie setting her chin defiantly, just like Leon and looking at her father with _that look_ in her eyes.

"Leon's lying in the hospital, he's _dying_ perhaps, and you won't even offer his boyfriend a place to sleep at?! What kind of example are you for us?!"

"I will not tolerate this man in my house," Arthur Johnson replied, yelling at his daughter. "I don't care for what he's done years ago. It was he who just went away without leaving a trace, and your brother was heart-broken because of that, for _months_! Have you ever listened to what Chris is telling about that shop? He messed with my son's head, and you want me to like him?"

"As if Leon wasn't heart-broken, too, for _years_, and he needs him!" Josie screamed. "Mom, say something! Tell Dad it's just plain unfair to throw him out! He's come all the way up from LA just to be here with Leon, don't you see that he's got to like him?!"

The door opened and Sam and Chris slipped inside. The girl had placed a protective arm around her cousin, who was crying quietly. "I don't want Dad to throw you out!" he sobbed and threw himself into D's arms.

"I will go to a motel in Brooklyn," D told the boy softly while the fight downstairs continued. "It is better this way, Chris, believe me. I do not want your parents to quarrel because of me. I have caused enough trouble in your family."

"No!" Sam protested and blushed when they looked at her in surprise. "You're Leon's boyfriend," she added meekly. "That's also family, isn't it? And, and you taught Chris to speak again, and Mom _likes_ you. I think she does. She's just afraid."

D's lips twitched. "Your family has nothing to fear from me, Miss Samantha. I would not hurt any of you." He patted Chris reassuringly when the boy leaned against him. "I will go tomorrow and look for another place to stay at. It is for the best."

Sam and Chris both looked like they didn't think so.

* * *

Mary watched her husband fight with her daughter from a few feet away, not being able to decide. She had wanted him to come home to help her deal with all of this, not to be angry at her for what she'd done. She'd not wanted Josie to come home and immediately take the side of the hated Chinese.

"He's got to stay somewhere," she said faintly, feeling both gazes burning into her skin.

"You want this, this _man_ to stay in _our_ house, with _our_ children? Mary, you were the one who told me you were scared of him!" Arthur could barely believe what he was hearing. His wife had to be out of her mind. Just yesterday she had told him on the phone that she could barely sleep at night anymore, knowing that this man was under the same roof. And now she told him not to throw him out.

"I didn't say that!" Mary protested wildly, ignoring the indignant "Mom!" from her daughter. "I just said he's got to stay somewhere, and that we can't make him leave at once!"

"Oh, do what you want, all of you! Perhaps you will one day wake up and see that man for what he is, but don't come to me then!"

A door was slammed shut. Josie turned to her mother, who'd hidden her face in her hands. "Mom?" she asked and placed a careful hand on her shoulder. The woman startled and looked up at her.

"Josie, why did you have to fight with him again?" she inquired, sounding incredibly tired.

Josie lowered her eyes. "I like the Count," she said defiantly. "I don't know why you're all so angry at him for leaving. It's his business, or better, his and Leon's business. I don't care if he's not what you wanted as Leon's girlfriend. And I don't believe for one moment he's going to leave him again."

"Josie…" Her mother sighed, and then rested her face in her hands again. Josie slowly withdrew and went to the guest room upstairs, knocking at the door quietly, stepping inside.

She halted for a moment when she saw everyone with the exception of her parents assembled in there. "Hey, you having a meeting here or what?" she asked and managed a smile.

Count D smiled back shyly. "Thank you for your efforts, Miss Josie," he replied. "Nevertheless, I think it would be best if I went elsewhere."

"No you won't." Josie closed the door and stepped closer to him. "Don't care for my parents. Dad's being an asshole about everything that's different, and Mom's prejudiced. She hated Leon's dad."

D's eyes flew up to her face. "What do you mean, Miss Josie?" he asked. The young woman shrugged and sat down on the floor, crossing her legs.

"Mom always pretends that she thinks Leon's irresponsible, but I know that she likes him a lot. She's his godmother, even. But she always hated Johnny." She looked at Chris. "Sorry to say that, Chris, but your real dad was a real asshole. He left your mom when Leon was six and came back fourteen years later. Then he died in an airplane crash. Never mind, though; only Mom's afraid ever since that you and Leon are going to be like your mom and hook up with someone like Johnny."

"I would not leave Leon again for anything in the world," the Count said quietly and looked at the younger Orcot. "Your mother has nothing to fear for him."

Josie shrugged and gazed at the wall. "Well, it's a family trauma. Guess you won't be able to do anything about it," she said and missed the bitter smile on D's lips.

Family trauma. Yes, he could tell a tale about those, too.

Nevertheless, he tightened his grip on the small slip of paper in his pocket. He would rather stay at Miss Sandra's apartment, where he at least would be welcome. More or less.

* * *

Sitting at Leon's side the next day, he wondered if their relationship had been doomed from the first moment they met. Human and kami, both families not too happy about the chosen partner, each partner himself having problems with the other's point of view.

He gently stroked Leon's face, the places he could reach, those where no mask that breathed for his lover was. And yet, despite all this, he couldn't help but love this human, in spite of his species, in spite of his faults and lousy character traits. He didn't want to lose him, not now and not in the future. He still kept the hope alive that everything would be alright if Leon would only wake up. He knew what coma and extreme situations caused in most humans. They were so happy to be alive that they were willing to rethink some of their earlier decisions. Could it not be that Leon would want to stay with him once he woke up? Wasn't he allowed to hope at least?

The machine made a strange sound, one he'd not yet heard by any of the machines. But then, his experience with human ways of healing was limited to the times he'd visited Leon in the hospital.

Still, D's breath sped up. Panic rose within. Hurriedly he sought the aura surrounding Leon and found to his horror that it was rapidly losing brightness.

Without thinking twice, D hit the button for the nurse. She came at once, looking slightly angry when she checked the machines. "Miss, there's nothing wrong with your husband," she said soothingly.

"The machine made a sound," the young kami insisted.

She suppressed a sigh. "Yes, that's because the IV is nearly empty. I'll get a new one and then everything's gonna be fine."

She'd not yet finished speaking when suddenly another of the machines started screeching loudly. D found himself being pushed to the side when she hurried to check it, and then hit another button. "Doctor McCoy to number four," she said into her little device. The young kami followed her hectic actions with wide, anxious eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, hearing his voice crack.

She didn't answer, instead made him sit down on a chair when the doctor burst through the door, followed by some other medical staff. D had to clap a hand over his mouth to stifle the loud scream, but his soul shrieked louder than his voice ever could. _Leon! No! Don't leave me!_

He almost didn't notice the whole activity around Leon's bed, the people handling the machines. He could just see Leon's pale face between the white clothes. The mask over his mouth and nose that breathed for him. The countless needles and tubes feeding and cleaning his body, doing everything it could usually do itself.

_I don't care if this is against nature. I do not care if it's against ethic and rules and the law. I only want you to live. I don't care for anything as long as you're alive._

"We've got him!"

McCoy's breathless relief was mirrored in the faces of his colleagues. D collapsed against the wall, hiding his face in his hands. _Oh god, thank you._

A warm hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked up to see the doctor's grey eyes. "We've got him back," he repeated, more quietly. "Good that you called the nurse. How did you know this would happen? If she'd come a second later…"

D almost choked on the words. "I felt him die," he said, his eyes wide and frightened. "I can't let him die."

* * *

"He needs another surgery, soon."

Sandra nodded, unable to say something else. McCoy looked into the small room Leon and his machines were occupying. "If he hadn't called the nurse yesterday… I'm not going to lie to you, Miss Decker. Your friend is not an inch away from death. The nurse told me that his readings are okay as long as _he_'s in there, but as soon as he leaves, they go down. We've got no choice. Usually I'd postpone the surgery; Orcot's too weak for it. But if we don't do it now, chances are that he's never going to wake up again."

Her throat was dry. "Have you already told the Count?" she asked.

The man shook his head, sighed. "I'm not a coward, Miss Decker, but I think it's best if someone he knows tells him. I can't even begin to imagine what he'll do if I tell him. I'm not good at keeping people from suicide. I'm better at patching them up when they've failed."

She grabbed her throat. "You think he's gonna commit suicide?" she whispered. McCoy shrugged and crossed his arms, looking at the kami sitting beside Leon's bed, holding his hand and talking to him softly.

"I don't know him as good as you do. But I know that I've seldom seen anyone so desperate to stay by his lover's side all the time. If it wasn't for you and Mrs. Johnson's son, he'd never come out of that room. We tried. He sits there all day, way into the night. Actually, I was surprised anyone could talk him into coming out of it at all."

"I – don't know him that well. I just know what Leon told me about him, nothing more. There was… he had a little disagreement with Mr. Johnson, it seems, so I offered him to stay at my place."

The doctor regarded her in silence for a long while. "Is it just me or is this family pretty complicated?" he asked, trying to sound funny, but the look in his eyes told otherwise.

Sandy sighed deeply. "I think 'complicated' describes it pretty good." She bit her lip. "Dammit, I don't know what to tell him either! I just know he's in love with Leon, nothing else!"

"Perhaps it would be better not to tell him about the surgery at all," McCoy suggested, but Sandy shook her head decidedly.

"Don't underestimate him just because he's a little off at the moment. Count D's not likely to overlook those plans."

The doctor sighed deeply. "Then please talk to him, Miss Decker. I would like to do the surgery Wednesday morning. The sooner the better, and if he's not going to make it, he's not going to make it if we wait another week either."

Sandra nodded, sending another glance at the strange creature Leon had ended their affair for. She felt deep pity for him. There had to be a way to cheer him up somehow, to make him find the strength to support Leon…

So, not knowing what else to do, she called Jill.

* * *

A/N: You know, I've been wondering why the page was showing that I updated this story on the 16th. Because I know that it had been way longer that I did. And just a moment ago I realised that for whatever reason, one chapter got deleted o.O Might have been me, for all I know. Still, if anybody out there still has the original version of "The Women Here Know", I would be very grateful if you could tell me, because I now had to search in old files to find it again.

Well, hope you had a better morning than I did, due to that. So long, Enaty


	20. Support

**Support**

The bell rang just as she was doing the cooking. Mary sighed and went to answer the door. The blonde, grey-eyed woman looked up from the girl whose hand she was holding and smiled nervously. "Hi. Sorry to intrude here like this, but Dana…"

Comprehension dawned on Mary's face just as the woman realised she'd forgotten to introduce herself. "Oh, sorry! I'm Jill, Jill Freshney, I'm Leon's best friend…" She wrestled the hand loose from the child that immediately grabbed her leg instead and continued to gaze at Mary with wide blue eyes. She took the offered hand, eyes still on the child. _Dana. So this is Dana. Leon's Dana._

Then Mary came to herself again and noticed that Jill was also holding a baby in her other arm. She blurted out before she could stop herself. "Why on earth didn't you ring? I could've picked you up at the airport… or the station… Did you come all the way from LA alone with the children?!"

Jill smiled again. "Wasn't that bad," she answered, hoisting the baby up and taking Dana's hand again. The girl had tucked her thumb into her mouth. _Dana._

"We took the train, and the kids were angels the whole time. Those two helped a lot, too." She indicated two animals sitting behind her on two great bags, one a strange-looking sheep and the other a raccoon. Mary remembered both from her only visit to the pet shop in Los Angeles.

"Oh my god, it must've been awful!" she exclaimed, horrified at the thought of this young woman having to deal with two small children, two animals and the luggage. "Come inside, please. The sitting room's to the left." She ushered the woman inside and stepped out, taking one of the bags. The sheep grabbed the other one with his teeth and dragged it inside, too. Mary suppressed the weird feeling and went into the kitchen, quickly turning off the hotplates and gathering something to drink and a few cookies.

Then she went into the sitting room. Jill had seated herself on the sofa, the baby beside her on a cushion. Dana was standing in front of one of Chris's pictures. "Look Auntie Jill, that's Daddy!" she said and laughed. Mary sat down the tray and stared at the girl, not caring for manners.

Dana Orcot. Leon's child. Her second niece. The picture of her sister came into her mind. The blue eyes were just the same. Every Orcot had them, Dana, Leon, Chris and now the second Dana, too. Hopefully she would have a better life than her grandmother…

The thought of her sister reminded Mary of her nephew, lying in the hospital fighting for his life. She clenched a hand into her T-shirt and prayed silently. He should not die. He could not die. He had a little daughter, a girlfriend, well, more like a boyfriend, he had Chris. He should get married and have more kids instead of dying. That was how it was supposed to be. Why could the Orcots never keep to the plan? So much worry, so many problems all the time…

Jill had observed her closely and now cleared her throat. "Dana, your aunt has brought something to drink. Do you want anything?" she asked the girl quietly. Dana turned away from the picture, starting to hop to the woman, but stopped seeing Mary. The great blue Orcot eyes gazed at her and almost unwillingly Mary opened her mouth.

"Hello Dana," she said, hearing herself talk and wondering what she was doing here. "I'm Aunt Mary. Your daddy's my nephew."

The girl walked over to Jill and wriggled herself in between the woman's knees from where she watched Mary pour juice into two glasses, confused by the scrutinising look Dana was giving her. "You're Chris' mommy," she said then decidedly. Mary frowned and wanted to say something. She closed her mouth again, thought and then opened it, but Jill cut her off.

"Leon and the Count explain quite a lot to her," she hastily said. "She knows that Chris is Leon's brother and her uncle and that he in turn lives in New York with his aunt and uncle who adopted him."

"But – isn't she only two years old?" Mary inquired, sitting down and sipping her juice to hide her confusion. "You know, I raised three kids, but none of them…" She trailed off. Dana's blue eyes were riveted to her.

"I'm two and a half years old," she said proudly, making her aunt shiver. It was the attitude of a small child being proud of how big it already was, but Mary couldn't help feeling that something with Dana Orcot was just off. Strange, and not like it was supposed to be. Just like something was simply _off_ with the Count.

Jill noticed that, too. She was an observant young woman, but no surprise there. After all, she was a detective just like Leon. "I think you should better talk with Leon or D about that," she said quietly. "It's true, Dana's not quite like normal children. But I'm not good at explaining any of this. I don't know that much either."

The terrible foreboding Mary had already had that one evening came back. She licked her suddenly dry lips. "Count D – he's not a she, is he?" she asked. "He's not a gynandry woman like Leon said."

Jill hesitated, but then she slowly shook her head. "No," she confessed. "He's not. However, he's not male either. He only wants to be called male."

_Orcots are always complicated, Mary. It's just the way they are. That's why I married him._

Dana, sitting on the lowest branch of a tree, half a year after her marriage. She'd already been pregnant with Leon, but the two sisters had gone on a picnic together. Mary had never understood why Dana had been so taken with the ne'er-do-well Johnny Orcot. But her elder sister had been mad for him, mad enough to marry him, give birth to his child and cope with all of his crazy plans to get rich. She's even been true to him when he'd left her with a six-year-old boy to care for, and welcomed him back nearly fourteen years later. How Mary had hated this man! With all of her heart and soul she'd hated him, the one who'd taken her sister away from her and made her cry and, finally, had killed her by getting her pregnant again at over forty.

However, she'd never been able to hate either of her nephews. They were too much like their mother, the one Mary had loved so dearly. In her more just moments, she'd had to admit that none would have been more fitting for her crazy sister, but everything she loved in Dana had been despicable in Johnny Orcot. The absolute love for personal freedom, crazy plans to change the world, the knack for weird and exotic things. Johnny had always missed Dana's love for justice and truth, and probably Dana had known that, too. But she still had fallen in love with him and never turned her back on him, no matter what he did.

Suddenly tears shot into Mary's eyes and she hid her face in her hands. "He's so much like her," she whispered. "She always had a knack to bring herself into trouble, and he's just the same, and now – now he's perhaps going to die…"

"Dana, why don't you go into the garden with Tetsu and Pon-chan?" Jill's calm voice helped Mary to regain some of her composure. She took a deep breath and looked up, quickly wiping her eyes.

"No, it's okay," she said and smiled. "I – Chris and Sam should be coming home soon. I was just doing the cooking."

The other woman smiled. "I'll help you and Dana can go play with her friends," she suggested. The girl turned up her head to protest, but the raccoon had already snatched her hand and was tugging at her impatiently, squeaking. So the girl followed her, looking back over her shoulder, obviously wanting to take part in the conversation. The women watched her disappear into the garden with both animals and Jill sighed softly.

"We should not talk about such things in front of her," she explained. "She's only two years old, but she understands far more than one would think. She knows something bad has happened to her daddy, and I don't want her to hear he might die."

"I understand," Mary replied, though her mind was racing. Two years old and the girl already knew about the concept of death?

"She lives in a pet shop. The animals in there die all the time," Jill said by way of explanation and tucked a cushion around the baby to keep him from falling off the couch. "Let's go to the kitchen. I don't want to keep you from anything."

She waited until Mary had seen to the food before she asked. "How bad is it really? Did the doctors say anything?"

The elder woman bit her lip. "Doctor McCoy said Leon was lucky he survived at all," she answered, managing to hide the sob in her voice. "He was shot into his lung, and apparently someone rescued him by putting his finger in the hole." She shuddered at the thought of pushing one's finger inside another human's organs. "They also hit his leg quite badly and he lost a lot of blood. Each for itself wouldn't be a problem, but his body has lost too many reserves, according to Doctor McCoy. At the moment he's still in a coma. We can only hope and pray that he'll wake up again."

She looked up in time to see Jill blinking away a few tears, too. "How's D taking it?" she inquired softly and Mary's shoulders hunched.

"Not good, I'm afraid. He nearly fainted when he saw Leon in there, and he said something in Chinese. I didn't understand what it was, but he sounded as if he was going to commit suicide any second." She hesitated. "I don't want to pry, but – Leon was quite depressed the last few weeks, too…?"

Jill rubbed her forehead tiredly. "They had a fight," she answered the unspoken question. "A really bad fight. I don't know how well you know Leon, but he's stubborn as a mule, and D is, too. They wouldn't even talk to each other. And it's mostly D's fault that they fought at all. At least he thinks it is."

"Oh dear," Mary said softly.

Into the sudden silence they heard the key turn in the lock and two people came in, talking to each other. "I didn't, Sam!" Chris cried, sounding close to tears.

His elder sister replied sharply. "But Josie never goes into my room to take something from there. And it wasn't Mum or Dad either, that much's for sure!"

Mary hurried out to welcome her children. Both stopped seeing her face and started to look frightened. She quickly smiled, although it was strained. "Chris, we've got visitors," she told her nephew, indicating the back door. "Do you want to go say hello?"

"Sure," the boy answered, throwing his rucksack into a corner and running to the back door. The next moment he screamed with joy. "Tetsu, Pon-chan! Cool, you're here! Hi Dana!"

"Chris!" the girl replied and wrapped her arms around the boy's middle, turning her head up to him. "Where's Daddy?"

Her uncle's face fell. "He's in the hospital, Dana," he explained carefully.

"And Bàbà?" she inquired further.

Chris sent a helpless glance at his mother, who supplied an answer. "He's in the hospital, too, Dana," she said hastily. "Say, Chris, why don't you go show Dana your room?"

She took a deep breath when the children had disappeared upstairs, Sam and Chris glancing at their mother in confusion.

Jill crossed her arms. "What is it?" she inquired coolly. "Is the Count really in the hospital or did you just make that up?"

Mary closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to calm herself. "No, he probably is in the hospital. He always is there. But he doesn't stay at us anymore."

The other woman glared. "What?!"

Mary sent her a helpless glance. "My husband, Arthur, he didn't want the Count to stay here. I told him we couldn't make him go, since he is Leon's friend, after all, but the next day, he said that he'd stay at someone else's. I don't know where he went."

Her voice sounded helpless. Jill took a deep breath herself and tried to disentangle the whole damn knots in this weird family. She couldn't understand how someone could come from this family and still call the Count weird. She had the feeling that she understood D much better than all this chaos here.

"Sandra Decker. She's a friend of Leon's and she's currently staying in NY, too," she said then. "It was her who called me and told me about the surgery."

Mary's eyes went wide. "Another surgery?" she exclaimed. "What? Why did no one tell me that?"

Jill resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall. At first they made D leave their house and then they wondered why he hadn't told them about the other surgery? Fuck this family. She was starting to understand why Leon had problems getting a relationship to work.

"Listen, Mrs. Johnson –"

"Mary," the woman said absent-mindedly, staring at Chris's picture of Leon.

"Mary. Leon's going to have another surgery on Wednesday morning, and the Count needs something to hold on to. That's why I came to New York, that's why I brought Dana along. So would you please just work with me and help me?"

Mary Johnson nodded, dumbfounded. Jill sat down. "At first, I don't care if your husband doesn't like the Count. You're Leon's family and he's Leon's family, too, so could you please leave aside your objections and just deal with him for some time?"

* * *

It was pretty easy to get Sandy on her phone and find out if D indeed was in the hospital, what he of course was. Jill didn't waste time on asking her friend why she hadn't told her about the fight between the Count and Mr. Johnson. She just arranged to meet with her in front of the ICU later, then she went, hired a car and drove back to Brooklyn, where she managed to get a hold of Leon's doctor and convinced the man to let her and the children into the ICU.

She had never seen the expression that D got when she opened the door to Leon's room and he saw Dana. He knelt down, right on the floor, and the little girl ran into his arms, clinging to him, suddenly starting to cry. She swallowed her tears and went to the bed to have a look at her friend.

Leon was so pale he matched the white sheets perfectly, and the amount of high-tech beside his bed would've sufficed to get someone to the moon. Jill sat down and took his hand, carefully minding the IV. "Hey, Leon," she whispered. "Look who I brought along. Don't you think it's time to wake up again? The Count's going crazy with worry for you, you know. And Dana's missing her Daddy, too."

"Thank you, Miss Jill."

She turned and smiled at the young kami. Dana had calmed down, she was sitting on D's arms. He looked strained, but right now his eyes were gleaming. "Hey. How're you doing?"

"Not too bad, thank you, Miss Jill. It was very nice of you to bring Dana to New York. I will of course pay your expenses."

"Count, stop calling me Miss Jill. Jill's fine. I mean, after all we've… just call me Jill, okay? And I don't want the money back. All I want is Leon to wake up and you two getting over whatever it is that's between you. It's tearing me apart, you know, watching you."

D didn't answer to that, he dropped his gaze. She dared to place one hand on his shoulder. "Count…"

"He just has to survive this surgery. Doctor McCoy said he will have better chances at waking up then."

Jill nodded and smiled at him carefully. Did D know how low chances were that Leon would survive the surgery?

Probably he did.

* * *

Both Jill and D stopped dead in their tracks when they reached the ICU the next day and found Mary Johnson standing in front of Leon's room, kneading her hands nervously. She managed a weak smile.

"Hello Count. Jill…"

"Aunt Mary," Dana piped up and wriggled around to get a better look at the woman. Mary quickly lowered her gaze.

"Hello Dana," she said faintly. "Listen, about my husband… I am sorry."

D's face had turned into the mask Jill knew so well. "You do not have to apologise, Mrs. Johnson. I am aware of your problems with my person."

"Chris is asking about you."

"If you allow, I will call him this evening."

Mary took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Count D, my problem with you is not entirely due to your person, but to other … events in the past as well. I do not agree with my nephew on his choice of partner, but he apparently loves you, and he is very ill. We should not fight against each other as long as we have more important things on our minds."

D listened to her speech without one muscle moving in his face. "What are you asking of me, Mrs. Johnson?"

She held his gaze. "In case you still want to, I would like to offer you to return to our house."

The young kami inclined his head. "I will think about your offer, Mrs. Johnson. Thank you. May I now please go to Leon?"

She made way and let D go inside the room, setting Dana down on Leon's bed. The girl snuggled against his leg and they could see D talking to her, probably trying to calm the child.

"It's not nice to see him like that, is it?" said Mary. Jill looked at her and tried to find out about whom she was talking, D or Leon.

"When I was a child, the worst I could imagine was that something would happen to my parents and my sister. Now the worst I can imagine is that something happens to my children. But those things don't care about fear, do they? They just happen, no matter if we want them to or not," Mary continued bitterly. "And it's always those who don't deserve to have something like this happening to them."

The speech sounded quite familiar to Jill. Leon could've said those words as well, more often than not about a former customer of D's.

"Why does he make me feel like I have to give him a hug and tell him everything's gonna be alright?" Mary sounded distressed and helpless, almost angry. "I mean, he's a transvestite, or a, a - I don't know _what_ he is, only that he's _not_ what I wanted as my nephew's boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever. Not someone I want my son to spend time with. What with that smile of his, and the coldness, and the attitude, I sometimes can barely believe he's a human being, he's so strange!"

She didn't see Jill flinching at that. She really didn't feel up to explaining to Mary Johnson that her beloved nephew had actually hooked up with someone who didn't even belong to his own species. It would get interesting once Leon woke up again and explained to her. Because Leon was going to wake up again. Jill would not do the explaining part, and D didn't look like he was going to do that either.

"He's almost like Johnny," Mary continued bitterly and saw Jill's questioning glance. "John Orcot. Leon's and Chris's father. My sister's husband. He had lots of plans how to get rich, and no inhibitions at all. He would've done anything to get rich."

She snorted. "Not that the Count needs to get any more money than he has. But he's just the same. You look at him and he smiles, and you know that behind that smile something you won't like at all is lurking. Just like Johnny. And he made Dana unhappy, he killed her, but she still loved him. And Leon loves this Count and does everything for him, and I want to _hate_ him, but I just _can't_, 'cause when he looks at me with those freaky eyes, I can see that even though he may be a son of a bitch, he still loves Leon. I just can't _hate_ him!"

For the first time it occurred to Jill that Leon's good instincts were not an actual characteristic of his, but that his whole family apparently was more observant in those matters than others were. Mary's words reminded her of Leon's first description of Count D he'd given her. He'd also said that his smile was a mask behind which something dangerous was hidden. Well, he had been right. But had he ever considered that this mystery behind the mask would never leave him again?

She seriously doubted it. And she also doubted that Leon had ever compared D to his own father. From what she knew, he'd barely known the man and all he felt towards him was hatred that he'd treated his mother so badly. What would he say if he heard Mary speak like this about D? Would he see the resemblances then, too? Or was D different to Johnny Orcot?

"It's gotta be an Orcot trait," the elder woman said quietly, and Jill snapped out.

"What?" she asked, afraid of having missed something important.

Mary smiled bitterly. "The fascination of the unknown. Of mysteries. Dana had it. Johnny had it. Leon has it, and Chris has it, too. I never understood why Dana was so taken with everything mysterious. Sometimes I wonder why we were such good friends. We were so different, after all…"

She gazed into space. "When I married Arthur, Johnny had just left her. I couldn't have done it, I couldn't have watched my sister getting married when my own husband had just taken off to god-knows-where. But she came and played my maid of honour, and made Leon throw flowers and was all happy."

All the tension broke away when Jill suddenly burst out into laughter. "She made _Leon_ a _flower girl_?!" she giggled and tried to stifle it with her hand, but the laugh still got through.

Mary looked at her in surprise, and then she started to laugh, too, a hysterical note in her voice. "Yes, and he sulked the whole day afterwards. I had to bribe him with French Fries so that he would come out under the table for the photo," she replied, nearly gasping with laughter, too. "Do you want to see pictures? I've got some, and he looks as if he's just bitten down on a sour apple!"

Jill had to support herself against the wall, hiding her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling. "Oh my god!" she gasped. "Oh please, yeah! Leon as a flower girl! I've gotta see that!"

They left the ICU pretty quickly to avoid being thrown out by the nurses, and instead went into the hospital cafeteria where they sat down at a table and exchanged stories about Leon, trying not to think that maybe tomorrow they would be stories about a dead man.

* * *

A/N: Tragic family histories are such great plot devices. And I'm so glad this one isn't due to my imagination. Thank you, Matsuri Akino, for relieving me of responsibility for this ;-P

Randomina: Well, thank you for giving me feedback :-) I changed the mistake you pointed out, but as to D's way of speaking, I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you. I will try to keep him as formal as possible, promise, but I'm actually not very skilled in formal phrasing in English. If you have suggestions (or, even better, an explanation what is considered formal), I'll be happy to work them into my stories.  
And, hopefully to your satisfaction, this series is far from being ended at the moment. Thanks for taking the time to write me.

Enaty


	21. Wishing You Were Here Again

**Wishing You Were Here Again**

D was sitting at the window in the small room of Sandy's apartment when Jill entered his room Wednesday morning, hugging Dana to his chest. The girl was asleep, but her face was contorted and she moved uneasily. Jill smiled at him carefully. "Hey," she said and the young kami turned his head to her and smiled back. "You want to have breakfast?" she continued.

D shook his head. "No, thank you," he replied, hugging Dana tighter. "I would rather stay here…"

She sat down on the bed and he made room for her. "You can't stay in here all day," she urged. "It won't help Leon if you lock yourself up in your room all day until he comes out of surgery and you can go to him again. We could drive to Chris. Mary said we could go to the beach. It would probably be good for Chris and Dana, too, to be distracted…"

D smiled weakly. "Not to mention, it would be good for me, wasn't that what you wanted to say?" he voiced and looked down on his child. "Very well. Is Miss Sandra still here?"

"She went to work twenty minutes ago. She lighted a candle for Leon."

D smiled unhappily and rocked the wakening child. "Good morning, Dana," he said softly. "Did you sleep well?"

The blue-golden eyes snapped open. "Where's Daddy?" the girl asked sleepily and struggled to sit up. D smiled at her. "He is still at the hospital, Dana, you know that."

"I want to see Daddy!" she claimed and pouted. "Why can't I go visit like you?"

"Would you like to go to the beach today, darling?" The kami ignored his child's words and she sulked even more.

"Why can't I go visit Daddy? I wanna see him!" she complained. Jill and D exchanged a glance. "Why is he at the hospital still? You said he's gonna come home soon."

D's voice nearly cracked. "He is going to come home soon, Dana. But not today, and not tomorrow either. You have to have patience. And while we wait for Leon to get well again, we will go to the beach."

Her gaze was intent, too clever for her age, and it made Jill shudder in spite of herself. Yes, she could understand Mary's point about the girl being weird. But she had an advantage – she'd seen D and Leon deal with their extraordinary child, and witnessed her development since she'd arrived in America. Her real worry was that the child would not be able to deal with the events she was confronted with. Clever enough to grasp them, but too young to be able to deal with them properly. Jill suspected that D was worried about the exact same thing.

"I want to play with Philippe," Dana said, still pouting. "When we come to the beach, I want to play with Philippe."

Jill stood and silently left while D explained to his daughter that Philippe lived back at the pet shop and thus couldn't come to this beach to play with her. She got James ready and told the two pets where they would be going. The totetsu took off towards the guest room, usually Sandy's study, into which she'd put a futon for D.

Then they set out for the Johnson's house again and were lucky not to meet Arthur. Mary opened the door for them, told them that the children already had left for school and offered them another breakfast. For lack of better ideas, they consented while Dana was content to paint some pictures.

Jill caught herself looking at the clock every five minutes. Now they would be preparing Leon for the surgery – now they would be sedating him – now Doctor McCoy would make sure that his patient was ready to be operated –

"Dammit, I can't stand it anymore!"

The kami startled when she cried out and looked at her, a pained look in his eyes. "We cannot do anything but hope, Jill," he said quietly, casting a glance at Dana, who'd just jumped up to show Mary one of her pictures. The woman was looking over to them, too, brow wrinkled.

Jill sat down again, threading a hand through her hair. "I hate having to sit here, not being able to do something," she gritted through her teeth. "If only I could do something about that damn asshole that shot him – but no, I've got no jurisdiction in NY. If I'd come here for training in the first place… Dammit!"

She slumped down onto the sofa again and they resumed waiting, breathing a collective sigh of relief when Sam and Chris came home from school and instantly set out for the beach. Jill could see the change in D's face once he saw the water. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, squeezing Dana's hand tight. The tension eased from him.

Dana wrestled her hand loose from her father's grasp and set out to run along the rim of the water. "Catch me, Bàbà!" she called happily. D wavered for a moment, but then he followed her, running along the beach gracefully. Pon-chan and T-chan started to chase Chris around while Sam and Jill followed at a slower pace with Jamie. Jill turned her face into the dim sunlight and breathed in, too.

"I wish Leon could be here," she said quietly.

"He's gonna make it." Sam sounded very convinced. "Josie says he's a fighter. All of our family are. Well, perhaps with the exception of Dad. But everyone else is, she says."

Jill didn't answer.

* * *

Mary was already waiting for them when they came home again, the children laughing and playing with the animals. D was carrying Jamie and talking to Sam. He looked better. Not good, but better.

However, his face darkened when he saw Mary at the door. But the woman spoke before he could start to freak out. "He's out of surgery. He's alive. Critical, but alive. Doctor McCoy says you should come as soon as possible."

Chris' gaze wavered between the adults. His eyes filled with tears. "Why should you come? Is Brother going to die?" he asked with a trembling voice.

For a moment everyone stared at him. He'd spoken the words they'd forbidden themselves to even think of.

Then Dana started screaming. "I don't want Daddy to die! I want to see Daddy! I don't want Daddy to die!"

D knelt down in a rush and drew her against him. "Dana, Leon is not going to die," he tried to be heard over her shrieks. "Dana, please! Be calm! He won't die!"

"We should drive now if we want to be there in time," Mary said over the girl's screams.

Jill nodded and passed Jamie to her. "I'll go with him," she said. "We'll take my car. C'mon, Count, let's hurry!"

He looked up at her, mismatched eyes praying. "Dana, be quiet, I beg you! Your father is not going to die. Go play with Samantha and Chris, will you? I have to go to Leon now, he needs me."

"Here, just give her to me," Sam volunteered and managed to get a hold on the wriggling and fighting child. Chris clung to Tetsu, every bit as frightened as Dana was. But he was managing, somehow. Jill silently praised him for this while she ran out and fetched her car, hearing the girl's screams behind her.

"Nooooo!" Dana wailed and pushed her cousin away. Samantha, not prepared for her supernatural strength, fell backwards and squawked in surprise while the girl bolted over to her father. He bent and took her into his arms. "I wanna see Daddy!" Dana shrieked, crying loudly. D whispered soothing phrases, but the child would not let him go. "I wanna see Daddy! I don't want him to die!"

"Dana, please!" D prayed, his own face ghostly white. "Don't make this any more difficult than it is. You cannot come with me, not this time. Please stay here."

"I WANT DADDY!" Dana screamed, body wrecking with sobs. The young kami bit his lip. He had to go to Leon, had to be there when he would wake. If he would wake. He could not take Dana with him, could not let her see Leon dying. But he could not leave her here in this state either. So he forced her to look into his mismatched eyes.

"Dana, stay here," he ordered quietly and felt bile rise in his throat at bewitching his own child. "Stay here and go to sleep once I am gone. Do not worry and do not dream. Just sleep."

She was yet too young to know that he was using a spell on her, and not able to fight it either. The sobs stopped and Tetsu scrambled forward quickly to steady the child. Chris followed shortly after, looking spooked and even a bit terrified. D tried to smile at him. "I have not hurt her, Chris," he said reassuringly.

The boy nodded. "I know," he answered and cast a glance at his mother and sister. Both were staring at the kami with wide eyes.

D ignored them, embraced his daughter and then carefully placed her in Chris's arms. "Please take care of her for me, Chris, will you?" he asked.

"She can sleep in my bed till you're back. I'll watch over her," he promised earnestly and D smiled at him shakily.

"You are a good boy, Chris. Thank you," he whispered and turned before he could maybe start to cry, hurried out to Jill and sat down in the passenger seat. She looked as anxious as he was.

"Do you think she knows what's going to happen?" she asked in a whisper while starting the car.

D swallowed dryly. "I pray not, Jill. I pray not."

* * *

It was almost laughable, what happened after this dramatic evening. Because it was exactly nothing. Leon didn't get worse, he didn't get better, if one didn't take into account that his wounds were healing to Doctor McCoy's satisfaction.

But there was no sign whatsoever that he was ever going to wake up again. D still spent every day at the hospital, from morning to night, taking Dana along again after a few days had passed and the fresh scars didn't look so terrible anymore. The Johnsons (with the exception of Arthur), Jill and Sandy took turns accompanying him to the hospital and taking care of Dana every now and then. The nurses started to take a liking to her too.

And the days went, and Leon slept.

Because D wouldn't cause another fight in the family, Jill stayed at the Johnson's house, something Arthur was okay with, more or less. His only objection was that Jill liked D, but he wasn't home that much anyway, and Mary was happy to have some help and to look after Jamie.

When they met in the ICU one afternoon, Jill started to analyse the Johnson family while Sandy listened, bemused, and D watched Dana play with some toy of Chris's.

"He's not bad, you know. He's in fact quite friendly most of the time. You just can't talk to him about you, D. There's no way in hell he's going to accept you in his family." She sighed. "I really don't understand him," she said depressed. "I mean, I know that Mary isn't too fond of you either, but that's – Leon's her real nephew, she's worried about him of course…"

"Mr. Johnson was not too pleased about my shop and Chris living there. And I'm afraid I am not quite someone anyone wants their beloved ones to spend time with," D reminded her.

"And what about your family?" Sandy asked. "I mean, do you even have any?"

The young kami hesitated, then he slowly nodded. "I have a grandfather."

"Yeah, Leon mentioned him. I've never seen him, where does he live? Or is he always around buying new pets for the shop?" Jill asked and rocked Jamie, who was waking up and wanted to eat.

"I do not know where he lives. He stops by the shop every now and then, but he prefers not to meet Leon."

Sandy and Jill exchanged a glance. "You're really hit the jackpot, haven't you?" Sandy asked and bent down to Dana. "With your respective families, I mean."

D smiled sadly and turned back to Leon.

He slept on and on, undisturbed by all those whose thoughts revolved around him.

* * *

A/N: This is getting worse and worse... wonder what possessed me to write it like this.

Anyway, as always, feedback is welcome, whatever feedback it might be. On this note, thank you, Atenea, Anna and Dark Inu :) You made my day.


	22. Hoping for a Miracle

**Hoping for a Miracle**

Leon was gone, well and truly gone, he was sure of it. That bastard had hit too good, thank you very much. And now he was hovering here, not quite sure what to do. Was there an etiquette how you behaved after your death? Or was he even dead? Did death feel like this?

He was still considering this question when something warm engulfed his hand. It felt familiar, though a little hesitant. Leon drifted away again. Someone talked to him, whispered words he couldn't make out, but he knew the voice and it sounded strange, hearing it so tearful and frightened.

Then the voice and warmth went away. It felt strange to miss it there, and he was glad when it returned. This time it stayed longer. It became a pattern. The voice came and went, he didn't know how many times. But he felt better if it was there. He hovered on the edge, listening to it, clinging to it as long as it was there. It was his anchor not to lose touch to what kept him here on the brim. By now he'd reached the conclusion that he wasn't dead, but something else, though he couldn't tell what exactly he was. Some kind of ghost?

Nonsense. He would've chuckled could he have remembered how that worked. He was probably unconscious or something like that. But he was still alive, he was pretty sure of that.

Still, he could feel the life fading. It wasn't quite frightening, it was more like – watching water flow in a river. It just went and was replaced by something else.

The voice noticed, too, and it changed again, became ever more frightened and urgent. It didn't want him to die. It wanted him to keep the life inside. But he didn't know how to do that.

He was distantly aware that others had come to wherever he was, were standing around him, talking in hushed voices, too. He recognised some of them, others were unfamiliar to him.

Then they went again. Someone bent over him and kissed his forehead. Something wet touched his skin. The voice explained. It told him to hold on, told him that it couldn't be without him. But he couldn't be without it either, nor without the warmth. He reached for it, but was dragged away. Blinding lights shone through his eyelids. It was cool around his body, and the voice wasn't there. Where was the whole point if it wasn't there?

The voice had told him to hold on. If he did, perhaps it would come again. It had always done so, had always come back until now.

So Leon held on.

* * *

"_I don't want to see you in this shop ever again!"_

"_Fine, I don't want to see you ever again either!"_

"_Then leave! No one's hindering you!"_

_The voices faded back into the darkness. Another picture turned up, Kanan and Shuko. They were screaming at each other, too. _

"_It's just you who says he can't stay here! That's such bullshit!"_

"_It is not and you know that! Chris is a human child, he has to return to the human world one day!"_

_D was looking up at him with that sweet little smile that made Leon's heart thump hard. "Will you be here for dinner this evening, Leon?"_

_He was again in the Crystal Palace, looking through Kanan's eyes at her sisters. Shuko returned the look, but he couldn't see her very clearly, it was as if a haze was in front of his eyes. He felt the other sister, Junrei, nudge his head. "Kanan! Kanan, wake up! You're scaring me!" She sounded tearful, but Shuko calmed her down._

"_Do not worry, Junrei, she will wake up again. I am sure. She's too stubborn to just leave." The eyes of the Count-dragon told another story. They were worried and not at all convinced._

_He was pretty much awake by now, but not awake in the technical sense. He knew he wasn't in the real world, but it was nice here, pretty. He distantly recalled the sight of these rooms; he'd walked them before, in real life. But now he was dreaming, or something like this. _

_It took some time for him to realise that he was in the pet shop, but not the pet shop like he knew it. It was empty in here, there were no pets anywhere. Leon didn't really miss them. He delighted in the silence in the rooms while he went from one to the other and opened doors he would never have opened if he had suspected pets behind them. _

_He had no idea how long his journey through the different rooms took. He would have guessed that he'd spent some days in here, if he'd have thought about that question at all. Climbing two mountains and crossing a desert probably took some time. _

_However, he liked the jungle best. It was fun, swinging through the trees as if he was Tarzan, and there was no one here to laugh at him for being so childish. Leon had almost decided to stay here when he came across a river and followed it's path, curious to which parts of the jungle it might lead him. _

_In fact, it led into yet another room with a beach and fine, white sand. Leon spent some time chasing the waves and running from them, then he sat down and dangled his feet into the water from a rock._

_It was then he heard the voices again. Those that had told him to hold on, so long ago. _

* * *

It was like breaking through the surface of the water after a long time without air and light. Leon gasped and shuddered, forced his eyes open.

The greyish ceiling of a hospital room greeted him. Something was over his nose and mouth, and he struggled against it, tried to breathe on his own. Something started to make shrill noises and a weight on his thigh went away.

D stared at him with wide mismatched eyes, the colours ever more vivid in the dim room. "Leon," he whispered, and for a second the human was glad that someone else was doing his breathing for him. D's gaze was so intent it frightened him to the very core of his being. Something in there made his instinct roar with alarm.

"He's awake!"

A nurse gently pushed D to the side and relieved Leon of the thing that breathed for him. He coughed and felt his lung hurt with every breath he took. "Damn… it…!" he whispered. D smiled unhappily at his words.

"He woke? Well, the world's full of wonders, isn't it?"

It was getting too busy in here, definitely. Leon felt his eyelids droop with fatigue, but he kept them open determinedly. A doctor bent over him and started to check some things. "Good morning, Detective Orcot. I've gotta say, I didn't exactly expect to ever be able to tell you that, but you're one lucky bastard. Survived being shot, survived two surgeries, woke from coma… You've gotta tell me one day how you did that."

He sounded quite cheerful. Leon didn't have the energy to roll his eyes, although he'd really have liked to. Cheerful doctors, just what he needed now.

But in spite of his fatigue, he felt pretty – awake, considering that he'd just woken from coma. His mind wasn't fuzzy in the least, although it should have been drowsy. He knew that. He'd experienced it before.

His eyes searched D, standing a few feet away from the bed now that the doctors and nurses were crowded around Leon. The kami smiled, in a way Leon had never before seen. It was a smile that hovered somewhere between incredible sadness, relief and – madness.

It was too much to deal with at the moment. Leon's eyelids dropped and he fell asleep at once, not noticing anything anymore for the moment.

* * *

The next time he woke, he already felt much better. He could even turn his head and look around the room. He had some experience with hospitals, and he shuddered when he saw the amount of high-tech piled up beside him. The more machines, the closer the call. He didn't have to think very hard to know it had been very, very close.

Besides, Leon knew it had been closer than ever. The first time he'd experienced a coma, he could barely remember anything. Weird pieces of dreams, shattered pictures from somewhere in his brain. Nothing at all like the crystal-clear images he remembered this time. He knew that D had been the presence he'd felt the whole time, knew that the kami had been the one to hold his hand and talk to him. He could even pinpoint the times Jill, Sandy and his family had been here. Wherever Jill had come from. She was supposed to be in LA, not in New York, just like Dana and D.

Turning his head to the other side, he saw the doctor standing in front of the window, talking to the kami in question. He listened intently and nodded from time to time. Leon could tell by his posture that he was not only uncomfortable, but also worried. D wanted to be somewhere else, and Leon had a good hunch that this would be the place beside his bed.

D looked so very fragile all of a sudden. So very human, which was just plain wrong. He shouldn't look tired, or worried, or like he was just able to keep his fear in check.

"This isn't the way it should be," Leon whispered into the room.

D turned. His eyes went wide and he brushed past the doctor into the room, hurried to Leon's bedside. "How do you feel?" he inquired, voice containing something Leon couldn't figure out. The doctor followed at a slower pace and smiled at his patient.

"Not bad, Mister. You seem to be quite okay, given the circumstances, are you not? No, don't try to speak yet, please. We had so much trouble patching your lung up that I wouldn't like to risk our work. Just nod or shake your head. I'll tell you if I'm happy with it in a few minutes."

He proceeded to examine Leon closely while he talked. "So, now that you're really awake, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Doctor McCoy, and before you get any funny ideas, no, I didn't become a doctor because of Star Trek, and neither am I related to that poor amateur."

Leon decided that he liked this guy despite his constant cheerfulness. So he nodded and smiled.

The man smiled back. "Well, that looks pretty good indeed." He looked at the fresh scar adorning Leon's right ribcage. "If you're careful, you can try to speak. Whisper, please."

Leon opened his mouth. "Thanks, Doc," he said very quietly. He was wheezing a little, but it didn't hurt as much as he'd expected it to. In fact, it went surprisingly well.

The doctor patted his shoulder. "You're welcome, boy. After all, I was pretty much blackmailed into keeping you alive." He winked in D's direction, who was again standing a few feet away, looking at Leon intently. "You know that you're some kind of medical wonder? I've never seen someone recover so fast before. Most people I've seen waking from coma took a few times before they recognised anyone again. Let alone talk. You don't happen to be immortal or something like that, do you?" McCoy joked, sending a shiver down Leon's spine.

"Not… that I knew," he answered, feeling uncomfortable. Was this D's work? There'd been another time when he should have died. But instead, the flower D had given him had dried up. He'd never related the two events to each other, but now he started thinking there might have been more to that plant than he'd thought.

Only that this time, D hadn't given him anything. But he'd been here like that first time, too.

Leon didn't pay too much attention to what the doctor was doing. His eyes were riveted to the kami's form. D didn't exactly avoid his gaze, but his attention in turn was fixed on what the human doctor was doing with his lover. McCoy pretended not to notice the tension, but Leon could discern from the glances the man kept sneaking at them that he knew perfectly well something was wrong here. They didn't exactly behave like a couple overjoyed at the survival of one partner.

Finally he put away his instruments and smiled reassuringly a last time. "So, well now, then I'm going to leave you to each other now. Remember, no excitement, please."

The door closed behind him. D raised his eyes and met Leon's.

"I am very glad you woke again," he said quietly.

"Ya, well… Didn't have much choice, did I?" It took some time to even get that small sentence out. Leon took care not to breathe too deeply. This conversation was going to take a lot of time, but if he'd ever had it, it was now. "You wanted me to wake up again, didn't you?"

D nodded, but didn't dare to smile.

"Are you behind it? Would I have died if not for you?"

The kami sat very still.

"Is it true?" Leon asked, trying to stay calm.

D shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm not doing this. I can only heal myself. But -" He stopped, seemed to think something over. Then he took a deep breath. "It might be Kanan."

"Kanan?!" Leon echoed unbelievingly. "What's she gotta do with me being shot and recovering?"

D was unsure, he could see it.

"Kanan has been almost comatose since you were shot, too. I haven't had notice from the pet shop for a few days. I was – too busy here at the hospital." _I did not budge from your side._ "Since you moved into the pet shop, your link to her has become stronger. I have come to think that is why you started to see my pets in their other forms, too."

"I saw them in their other form several times, not only when I was living at the shop," Leon pointed out dryly.

D nodded. "Yes, I know. You saw them when your defences were lowered, when you didn't put energy in denying what you were seeing. But Kanan, or better, Honlon, was the first pet you started seeing as a human since you moved into the shop, was she not?"

The blonde mulled it over. "Yes," he finally admitted. "And then came Tetsu and Pon-chan and all the others. But I've seen them before."

"You did not listen to me again." D's voice was a strange mixture of mocking, fright and uncertainty. "The point about this is your mind. Or better, your resolve to see my pets as pets, no matter what happens. Even though you started hearing them after the ship, you still saw them as animals, did you not?"

Leon would have liked to scratch his head, but the IV in his hands hindered him. "Yeah," he muttered. "Talking animals were kinda okay. I heard them when I came to Japan. But I couldn't see them anymore. It was okay. I could deal with them talking."

D' smile was strained. "Yes, I assumed as much. After all, you saw Honlon in her dragon form, but still could talk to her. Tetsu told Chris a few months ago that he believed you had started seeing them in their other form, but I was convinced that you were still denying it, even if you had accepted that they were more than simple pets. I should better have listened to him."

"Well, all that talk and what-ifs is pretty, but what's your point?" Leon was starting to get impatient. He still didn't understand what the kami wanted to tell him with his strange explanations. D stared at his tightly clasped hands.

"I mean that through your constant contact with Kanan, who is linked to you, your unconscious realisation of the pets' other form got stronger while your consciousness was still fighting against it. In other words, you were not yet ready to accept the full truth about the shop and its inhabitants, and even me, but your unconsciousness was strengthened by Kanan, making you see it all the same. And so you started fighting against that which you didn't understand."

His lips twitched. "As you always do."

Leon heaved a deep sigh and cursed himself when his lung protested. "Oh, great. That basically means that I'll never be able to live in that damn pet shop."

"Not as long as you deny the truth," D asserted, sounding incredibly sad. Leon would've liked to cheer him up, liked to tell him that he would get around in time, but where was the point in promising something he wasn't sure he could do? He needed time. Just some more time to get used to all this. Three years of denial about D hadn't done anything to make this any easier. He should've known better than get into this relationship without thinking first.

They both should've known better. One glimpse at a flying ship and human-shaped pets wasn't going to make Leon _understand_ what was going on around him. Wasn't going to make him understand D.

"And what's Kanan gotta do with me healing faster than I should?" he demanded to know, pushing aside the thought for now. Gather information first, draw your conclusions later. Step by step. Just like he'd done in dealing with his cases.

D glanced at him, obviously surprised at the sudden change of topic, and hesitated. Finally he spoke. "The best explanation I can give you is that your link has grown so strong that she started sharing your feelings and conditions. Thus her coma, and thus your recovery. She is a dragon, she probably overcame the injuries sooner than you did. Or perhaps it was your combined stubbornness that rescued you both." A smile played around his lips.

"I have said it once, but I am going to repeat it. You are just too stubborn to give up fighting. So you fought, and Kanan fought with you. You won the fight and lived. Recovery comes easy to 'mythical' creatures. It is rare, but it has happened before that humans were bonded to a mythical creature by means of blood, love or friendship. Kanan is your child. She is helping you to recover through your bond."

Leon sank back into his cushion. The room was silent for a long time.

"Will I become an immortal or what? 'Cause then I'm gonna move out of the shop. I don't want to live forever."

Leon's eyes locked on D's and he saw pain in there, so great he rued his words. Of course, he should have thought about that – D was an immortal. He probably wished Leon to stay alive with him.

Nevertheless his answer came without hesitation. "No, Leon, you will not become immortal. Nor will you become unbeatable or acquire any of the powers superheroes have just because of Kanan. Your bond is one thing. Becoming something other than what you were born as is another. As long as you do not decide to try and change it, you will stay human."

He indicated the machines. "As you might have noticed, it is not your body that is recovering that much faster than usual, but your mind. Something untouchable."

Leon followed D's gaze and nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I get that," he said. "Okay. That's – okay."

Again D smiled softly. "Good," he said and fell silent then. They didn't speak until McCoy came in and sent D home, telling him that tomorrow he could bring Chris and Dana along.

Leon stayed awake long that evening. He had slept for so long, he didn't feel particularly tired. Instead he listened to the already familiar sounds of the hospital preparing for the night, the steps of the nurses going home and the arriving night shift. He pretended to be asleep when they checked in on him, and they left it at that. But as soon as they were gone, his eyes snapped open again and he stared at the ceiling without seeing it.

Difficult. He was sure that "D" stood for "difficult". There was no better word to describe Count D and his pet shop. Or their relationship. Or Dana, or anything else about everything D touched. He was just so damn difficult.

Somewhere around midnight he drifted off to sleep, his mind filled with the images of the pet shop, this time not the empty rooms he had walked, but the usual pet shop full with animals and their strange, lingering forms.

* * *

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Good morning."

Jill's voice shook him awake. Leon opened his eyes to find his friend by his bedside, smiling at him brightly, James in her arms.

"Ain't he a bit young to be in here?" Leon asked and looked at the baby.

Jill shrugged. "If anything, he's too young to even get what's going on in here. And he knows hospitals, after all, he's been to one several times already. How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad." Leon wheezed as he tried to sit up more. Jill rolled her eyes.

"Hey, don't overstrain yourself. You know how long you've been comatose? Four weeks, Leon. Four damn weeks. We all thought you were never going to wake up again."

"I'm sorry," Leon muttered. His friend smiled and patted his hand.

"Don't care. The mother of the girl whose life you saved told me you'd wake up again sooner or later. Because god would honour such a brave deed."

Leon's look said everything. She dropped her gaze. "D wasn't as convinced you'd wake up again."

"Neither was I," Leon answered dryly. "Since when are you calling him D?"

"Since you were shot and I talked some sense into your aunt."

"Aunt Mary? What's she gotta do with it?" Leon looked at her with some interest. "Seems I've missed out on a lot while I was asleep, didn't I?"

"Quite a lot," Jill asserted. "Sandy is dating a guy from the NYPD. Your attacker has been sentenced to five years last week. Dana has become the favourite of the whole ICU, and everybody smiles when she plays in the corridors with Chris. Oh, and I think your aunt and uncle are going to get divorced sometime in the near future."

"Aunt Mary and Uncle Arthur?" Leon snorted. "Everything else I'd believe, but not that, Jill. Not them. It's more likely that the chief's gonna break up with his wife."

"Your aunt has started to accept the fact that you're together with D, although she's still pretty freaked by him." Jill's eyes were serious. "And your uncle doesn't think that's funny at all. Chris hates the fact that they're fighting, but that's mostly due to Josie, since she always is on D's side, no matter what."

Leon's head spun. "What the hell are you all doing in NY, anyway?" he demanded to know. "Keeping watch by my bedside or what? Don't you have something better to do with your lives?"

"Not at the moment, no. I'm still on maternity leave, Sandy lives here anyway and D's closed down the shop. He calls every few days, but he says his grandfather looks after it every now and then and besides, it's perfectly able to take care of itself."

The blonde didn't get to answer because then the door opened and D stepped inside, Dana on his arm and Chris at his hand.

"Brother!"

"Daddy!"

Chris went straight for his brother while D took a moment longer to reach the bed and set Dana down on it. The small girl crawled up to him and hugged him tightly. Leon noticed that her hair had changed shade and was getting darker again. "Daddy, come home please!" she pleaded. "We miss you!"

"Hey sweetie," Leon replied and hugged the girl back. "You know I've gotta stay in here until I'm in one piece again."

"They busted the guy who shot you!" Chris blurted out. "He was a drug addict! Josie says one of the medics put his finger into your lung and rescued you!"

"That's cool," the elder Orcot replied cheerfully, trying not to imagine that. Jill raised an eyebrow and he winked at her. She shook her head and sighed, standing up to leave Leon to his family and sitting down beside D at the chair beside the window.

"You feeling okay?" she asked and scrutinised the kami. He smiled at her, but she could still see the dark shadows on his face, which seemed unusually pale and strained.

"Yes, thank you, Jill," he said quietly. "Leon woke, that is important."

"Yeah. Have you talked to him yet?"

"No," the kami answered faintly. "I do not know where to begin."

"You know you'll have to talk to him," she said.

He sighed softly. "Yes, I know. But it is far more complicated than you know," he said so quietly she had to strain to hear him. "I think he will be very angry if I tell him."

"Don't rack your brain 'bout that. It's not as if he's innocent in this mess. So he's damn well gonna sit down with you and work on it until you've worked it out," Jill started and then stopped at the look on D's face. "I'm sure he'll understand. It's not your fault."

D didn't reply to that. He stood and smiled at the children. "I will go search Doctor McCoy," he said. "Perhaps we will be lucky and can take Leon home with us in a few days."

* * *

A/N: Gonna make surreptitious advertising: go everyone and have a look at "Back o' the Northwind" by Paddy goes to Holyhead (courtesy by youtube as usual). Ya, I have fallen prey to fan-atism ;-)

Atenea, Dark Inu, thanks for reviewing :-) To the rest of you, I do actually answer reviews, but I don't think the Author's Notes are the place to do this, so you'll get a pm from me. If you write a review, of course. Only anonymous revs will be answered here, because I then have no other way of answering.

So have a good week everybody and remember, the review button is right below this.

Enaty


	23. Happy End Is a Matter of Definition

**Happy End Is a Matter of Definition****  
**

Leon had long since given up trying to find out how D charmed everyone around him into doing what he wanted. He wasn't too surprised when McCoy told him that if he felt better, he could leave the hospital Friday morning. His wounds had healed while he'd been comatose, so there was no objection to him leaving, if he promised to be careful.

D and Jill picked him up from the hospital, saying goodbye to all the nurses, who insisted on taking a photo of Dana, Jamie and Jill (only because D refused to have a photo taken). Then they drove to the Johnson's house and were just in time for lunch.

Leon stopped for a moment when he saw the great banner adorning the front garden. "You rock, Leon!" someone had written upon it. He grinned and shook his head. "I'll be damned if that wasn't Josie's idea," he said and heard someone chuckle. His cousin came around the corner.

"Well, yeah. 'Welcome home' wasn't quite fitting, and Dad forbid me to write 'You survived'," she explained and hugged him. "You look great. Well, as great as anyone who's been shot and comatose can look."

"You're such a charmer. Where's the rest?"

This question was answered by feet trampling down the stairs. Chris and Sam had obviously decided to race for Leon, but they stopped before they reached him. Chris wrapped his arms around his elder sibling. "Brother! Dana and I made a book for you! Come see it!" he cried, face bright with excitement.

Sam elbowed her brother to the side. "Hey, let me say hello, too!" she complained and then hugged Leon more shyly. "I baked a cake," she murmured.

There was more trampling on the stairs and then Pon-chan and Tetsu made their appearance. The raccoon hugged Leon's legs tightly. "I'm so glad you're alive!" she cried. Leon looked down on her, seeing the tears in the eyes of the other shape. It was faint, but it was there.

"I'm also glad I'm still alive, Pon-chan," he smiled and hugged her quickly. Tetsu just looked at him and nodded. Leon noticed that the young man actually looked kind of shy.

"This is so totally sappy I don't know what to say," Leon whispered to Jill after he'd thanked everyone and stepped into the house. His best friend grinned and shrugged.

Mary seemed equally happy that her nephew was back in life. He could barely keep her from stuffing the food down his throat, more or less.

D was silent most of the time. He watched, smiled, nodded and shook his head. He spoke exactly 28 words during lunch, most of them "Thanks" and "No".

Leon tried not to watch him too obviously. D hadn't only seemed paler in the hospital, he was also paler – and thinner – in the outside world. He had never seen the kami trying to keep a low profile. He didn't like it.

He didn't like Uncle Arthur's reaction to the one he still called his lover at dinner either. Sandy had shown up in the afternoon and they'd spent a few hours talking and exchanging news (like that Sandy was dating Nate, Leon's New Yorker partner, but wasn't convinced that she'd stay with him). The later the evening got, the more Leon wondered. Uncle Arthur usually came home Friday afternoon at exactly twenty minutes past six.

Today he showed up when Leon was saying goodbye to Sandy around eight (she had a date with Nate and couldn't stay for dinner). At first he smiled and shook Leon's hand in a friendly gesture, but then his face darkened and he brushed past him into the house.

Turning, Leon spotted D standing at the window of the guest room on the first floor, looking down into the garden. He quickly went inside, too, and up into the room. Aunt Mary had said they would be sharing it, since the house wasn't big enough to house so many guests and Jill had insisted on sleeping on the couch in the living room.

"What're doing up here alone?" he asked. The kami turned to him and smiled without answering. "You've been quiet the whole day. Is everything okay?"

"I am not particularly intent on upsetting your uncle," D replied softly.

"Never bothered you before. Ruffling a few feathers, I mean."

"I do not wish to cause any more trouble in this family than I already have." D turned back and kept watching the sky.

Leon wanted to say more, but his aunt called them to dinner, so they went downstairs together and sat down at the table. Mary's face was tense as she put the dishes on the table, and Uncle Arthur's spine could've been used as a stick. Jill also seemed to be uncomfortable while Josie had that sparkle in her eyes that promised trouble.

It seemed that he'd really missed out on a lot.

"So, you're feeling better?" Uncle Arthur started the conversation after everyone had been served. Dana was sitting between Chris and Leon, and he was helping the girl to eat, although she was doing fine on her own.

"Yeah, I'm pretty okay again." Leon looked up and met the elder man's dark eyes.

"That's good. Will you get back to work soon, too?"

"Arthur, please, Leon has just left the hospital. He can't start to work right away, he needs to recover fully," Mary interjected.

Her husband shrugged. "He looks quite fine to me, Mary. And I bet he and the Count want to return to the pet shop as soon as possible. The animals probably feel quite alone."

Leon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Okay, Arthur had never been too fond of him, but he had never thrown him out before, which he definitely was doing now. Carefully he placed his fork beside his plate and returned his gaze.

"No, in fact I would have liked to spend a few more days with my _brother_, but if you don't want us here, just say so and we'll be gone," he snapped.

Arthur's eyes blazed. "You are always welcome to visit us and my _son_."

"Leon! Arthur!"

"So it's not me you want out of your house, but someone else? D perhaps? You smell a competitor, or what? Don't worry, no one's going to take the place you occupy in Chris's heart. I'm pretty sure no one else could," Leon spat.

The man's gaze wandered to the kami, sitting quietly beside Leon and staring at his plate. "I am very sure he could never fill in that place, since he's not even fit to properly take care of his own child."

D paled even further.

"What the hell, Uncle Arthur? It's none of your business how we raise Dana!" Leon exploded.

"You call taking a small child into the ICU every day of the week proper education? Or leaving her alone to fly down to New York head over heels just because someone has been shot?"

Josie and Leon started yelling at the same time.

"Dad, you're unbelievable! Can't you stop picking on him _one damn evening_? Just a few hours? You're such a –"

"I can't remember asking you if our education is good or not, and if I remember right, you didn't mind Aunt Mary taking Chris along to the hospital when you were having surgery five years ago!"

Arthur's face went bright red. "Josephine, be quiet! I am sick of your sassy comments. Have you forgotten which family you belong to? And Leon, that was a whole different situation. I was nowhere near in danger of dying!"

"Every surgery, not matter which, can end with the patient dying!" Josie yelled. "And you won't tell me what I've gotta say or not!"

She jumped up and ran out of the room while Arthur glared at Leon. "See? That's what your _boyfriend_ has done to our family. My daughter rebels against us and the neighbours think my son is crazy because he keeps telling stories of human pets! And all just because of this man!" An accusing finger pointed at D.

Leon had already opened his mouth to reply when Aunt Mary's voice cut through the tension. "Stop it, everyone! I will not tolerate fights the same evening Leon comes out of the hospital. Have you all lost your minds? Chris, go and fetch Josie. And as for anything concerning the Count, I do not want to hear another word, is that understood?"

The angry silence that followed this statement wasn't much better than the screaming. Leon decided then and there that they would fly back as soon as possible.

Or at least, fly anywhere where he would have time to talk to D without his whole family or pets around.

* * *

The first flight turned out to be on Monday. So they spent the weekend at the house, trying to avoid another confrontation, which was made easier by the fact that Arthur shut himself up in the workroom most of the time. Leon tried to talk to Josie or Chris about it, but they wouldn't tell him anything, and Jill couldn't. So he went to Mary.

Leon found his aunt in the laundry room, taking out fresh clothes of the washing machine. He stood in the door awkwardly until she noticed and smiled at him. "What's the matter, Leon?" she asked. "Why haven't you sent the Count? You know you shouldn't overstrain yourself."

He rolled his eyes. "Aunt Mary, I'm not going to overstrain myself with walking down two staircases," he said and came in. "As to why I didn't send D, that's 'cause I've gotta talk to you. About him."

Her face grew earnest and she laid down the pair of trousers she'd just taken up. "I'm not sure I want to know," she said quietly and Leon had to take a deep breath.

"Okay. Okay, then, if it's okay for you, then I won't tell. Just thought that perhaps… Jill said you've been – wondering. About D. About Dana. And me. And she also said that's why, you know, Uncle Arthur is so pissed."

Mary sighed and leaned against the washing machine. "Yes, I've been wondering," she asserted. "But the more I wondered, the less I was sure that I really want to know what's going on in that pet shop. Or what he really is. But I guess I should know something about him since you two probably won't split up anytime soon."

All of Leon's carefully prepared phrases had disappeared from his mind. He scratched his head. "It's kind of difficult," he mumbled, feeling his face grow hot and embarrassed. Mary smirked.

"I noticed. My son's spent a year in that shop. _He_ has spent a week at my house and a lot of time around me in the ICU lately. I don't like any of it at all, and I'm sure he already told you that, too. But he's your – boyfriend. So I will have to put up with his existence, I guess."

Leon felt eternally grateful that Aunt Mary at least shared the ability to accept the unchangeable with her sister. Even if they had nothing else in common, which was why he needed to dry his hands on his jeans before telling her the truth about his lover. His mother would've liked D, he was sure of that. Aunt Mary was more likely to freak out when she got proof that D wasn't even human. And he didn't even want think about Uncle Arthur's reaction. But after Friday's events, he didn't feel like he owed the man any explanation, in contrast to Aunt Mary.

Angry at himself for prolonging this he summoned up all of his strength. "Well, to cut it short, he's not human," he said shortly. "The pets in his shop are mythical creatures, and the dragon you saw there is my other kid."

Mary actually sacked against the washing machine and stared at Leon with wide eyes. "Leon, what the devil are you talking about?" she whispered. "There's no such thing as 'not human'. He can't be – that dragon, it wasn't _real_!"

Leon gulped hard. "It was. She is. Uh, her name's Honlon. And she is very real, believe me. Just like you and I. And D's real, too. Only that he's not – human. Neither male nor female, too, for that matter. And that's why we could get a child. Because he's both."

Mary's hand fluttered as if to reach for her head, but stopped halfway and instead supported her weight on the washing machine. "I – don't know what to say. Are you completely crazy, Leon?! You can't mean this – you can't mean to stay with him! Not human! Not male, not female, but both!"

"Cut it out!" Leon snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Jill told me you already suspected something. Don't act as if this is such a fucking surprise!"

His aunt glared. "Of course I suspected that something was off with him, how should anyone in their right mind not, given the way he dresses and acts?!" she hissed. "But please excuse if I'm having problems finding out that my _son_ has spent a whole year in the care of an alien, and that my _nephew_ has a child with it!"

"D's not an alien!" Leon protested and then took a deep breath. He wasn't getting anywhere like this. "Listen, Aunt Mary. D's a nature spirit. You know, one of those tree-huggers who can't stand to see a tree being cut down or an animal being killed. And that's it. That's what he is. Nothing more, nothing less. And I'm telling you because, well, because you're my aunt. Because Chris needs someone to believe him. Because I need your help if Chris is to visit us ever again. 'Cause I won't split up with D simply because Uncle Arthur thinks he's weird and hates him."

Mary was silent for a long time, scrutinising him with a look on her face that reminded him a lot of his mother. As if she could see right through him and see every dirty secret linked to D.

"That's not all he is, is it?" she said finally, straightening up again. Leon took a deep breath and she held up her hand. "I don't want to know the rest. I really don't. I can imagine something from what you told us. _Before_ you decided you had changed your mind about arresting him."

To his surprise, her eyes gleamed suspiciously. "How do you always do this?" she whispered, sounding as if talking to herself. "Why can't you just be satisfied with a normal, happy life? What is it that makes you do such things?"

Leon shrugged and answered carefully, not sure that she was really talking to him. Or about him, for that matter. "Dunno. Just like life better if it's adventurous, I guess."

Mary's smiled was strained. "Yes, I know. And I know what's going to come out of it, too. Because he's already run once, and he's gonna do it again, just like Johnny. Why in hell do you trust him?! Why in hell do you do this?!"

The blonde suddenly realised that this wasn't only about D and him. For a moment he was stunned into silence. Of course he'd known that Aunt Mary had never liked his father. But that she'd hated him so much…

"D's not like Dad," he said, very carefully. "He's not gonna run again, Aunt Mary. I know he won't. If anyone's gonna leave someone else, it'll probably be me." _Because that pet shop is still freaking me out to no extend._ "D will stay. He promised to stay."

"Johnny also promised a lot and never kept his promises." Mary's voice was hard. "And he at least was human."

"And what exactly makes you think that you can judge D by human standards when he's not even human?" Leon demanded, knowing full well how that sounded. But he just had to try. Had to convince Aunt Mary to see that D wasn't John Orcot, that he was different.

The look she gave him told him a lot about her opinion concerning his mental health. "You've gone crazy," she stated flatly. "I always thought something like this might happen, but I always hoped it wouldn't. You've truly gone insane."

Then her calm mask cracked and she nearly yelled at him. "Hell, Leon, don't you see where this is gonna end up?! Are you really so blind to what's going on right under your nose?! He's nothing you can ever deal with if you're telling the truth, if he really isn't human! You've got no proof any of his words are true!"

"I _know_, okay?!" he shouted back. "I know all that! But I know that he loves me, and I'll just have to trust him on that! It's not perfect, but it's a damn start! What do you expect me to do?! I mean, I've got a kid with him! Should I just walk out on him and her 'cause she happens to be only half human?!"

"And how do you know that child will ever turn out remotely like you want it to be?!" Mary yelled. "She's freaking me out, Leon! She isn't normal! No two-year-old should know about death, no two-year-old should understand so much, or be so strong!"

"You don't know anything 'bout Dana! She's different, but she's not a monster! She's just a kid, just like Chris is, or Sam, or I've been. Okay, so what if she's only half human? So what if she ends up hugging trees like her other dad? I can live with that!"

"You are ruining your life for his sake, and all you'll get out of it is despair, and, and problems, and everything! You can't tell me the people in LA are buying your story about him being a woman when he's pretended to be male for so long."

Leon glared. "Don't compare him with my father all the time, I told you, he's not like him. And they do believe us about that. We've got hundreds of cross-dressers in the city, one more or less, who should care? And if I want to ruin my life for him, what's it to you?"

The silence in the laundry room was only broken by their ragged breaths. Mary averted her gaze. "It's important to me because you're my nephew, Leon," she said quietly. "Because I do love you, and feel responsible for you in a way. Chris and I are the only immediate family you've got left, and he's too young to talk some sense into you. I'll admit I wasn't too happy when you kept him, now less than ever. But you're still Dana's son and thus, my nephew."

"I'm grown, Aunt Mary," the blonde reminded her softly. "I can decide for myself, and I know that I can't live without D and Dana. I've got to stay with them, or just near them, but I can't do without 'em and I won't."

"Yeah, that's exactly what Dana said, too." Mary took a clothespin and threw it at the floor in sudden frustration. "Can't you understand that I'm just worried about you and Chris? That Arthur is worried about you, too? You all have a tendency to get into trouble _way_ over your head. I just don't want one of you to drown in it! And god knows you've already been close to it when he disappeared. I thought he was gone for good, but then he had to turn up again and the whole mess started all over! Will he be worth the trouble? Will he be true to his word or will he fail you again? You can't tell me. You don't know anything 'bout him. I bet. Do you know what this inhuman thing really means?"

Leon's throat went dry and tight. "Yeah, I know what it means. And what I don't know yet I'm gonna learn. Aunt Mary, I mean it. I like D. A lot. I don't want to be without him, and it's not just because of Dana. I never wanted to be without him, I just talked myself into believing I _could_ be without him. But the truth is that I can't. He's more important to me than everything else in the world."

His aunt swallowed and turned her head, but he could still see the tear flowing down her cheek. "You're just as stubborn as your mother," she mumbled. "Oh, dammit!"

The corners of Leon's mouth twitched. "I didn't know you like swearing so much."

"I don't." Mary glared for a moment. Then her eyes grew soft. "I don't know how you Orcots always manage to talk me around. It must be pity for your naivety, really. I can't explain it otherwise."

Leon grinned, but she held up one hand. "I'm still not happy about this, Leon. And I'll probably never be. I can only hope you know what you're doing. You're a grown man, you will have to look after yourself. As to Chris, I expect you to look after him. If anything happens to him, anything at all – you're my nephew, but Chris is my son."

"And Dana?" Leon couldn't just let it stay with that. He knew Mary was stepping outside her comfort zone already, but his child was important, too.

"I can't hold it against her that her father isn't human," she said dryly, shrugging and trying to hide the fact that she was freaked out still. "Just like I can't hold it against you and Chris that Johnny Orcot was your father."

He hesitated. "Jill said that you said you wanted me to be happy," he said then.

Mary sighed deeply. "I do. I always did. I guess I will just have to accept that your concept of happiness is different from mine."

"I am happy," he assured her. "D and I are going to work it out. Everything's gonna be fine."

Her glance was as weary as her voice when she spoke. "I hope you're right, Leon. I'll pray you are."

* * *

A/N: It's getting late, later, too late...?

Dark and Atenea, thank you two ;-)


	24. If You Could See Me Like I Am

**If You Could See Me Like I Am**

D was busy packing their suitcases when Leon returned to the guest room. He leaned against the door and watched the kami. D knew that he was there, the human could tell by the insecurity in his movements. It hurt him to see the proud kami so unsure and frightened. He'd not wanted to come to this, had not wanted to ruin this relationship. He'd had so many, had always felt remorse and regret when he finally had to see that it couldn't go on any longer. But this one – he'd hoped that he'd do better here, for once in his life.

On the other hand – Leon had to admit that Jill had been right when she'd told him that he wouldn't have made up his mind earlier if it hadn't been for Dana. His friend was good at feeling such things. D usually was good at that, too, but Leon could not blame him for everything that had happened. After all, he'd rushed into this, too, without thinking too much about what he was doing here. If he really was up to the truths of the shop, of D. He'd just tumbled into this relationship, thinking that they could work it out along the way.

He should have known better, D should have known better. But now it was too late. And what he'd told his aunt just minutes before might be the truth, but a truth Leon wasn't sure he could actually make come true. Yes, he wanted to be with D. Only that he suddenly felt, more than ever, that he didn't really know who D actually was. At least, the D he was living with, the one he shared a child with. For some seconds back there on the ship, he'd thought he could finally understand the kami. And when he'd found him again, when they had agreed on being together, he had thought so, too. That he had finally found out who D was.

It hadn't been the first time he had been wrong about something concerning the kami.

"I am done. Do you still need anything?"

D's quiet voice broke into his thoughts. Leon quickly shook his head and strode over to look into his suitcase. "No, don't think so. You've packed most of my stuff anyway. And if, Aunt Mary can just give it to Chris when he comes the next time."

"Would you rather have done it yourself?" the kami inquired, unsure. "I just thought it would be too much for you..."

"No, no, it's fine with me," Leon said hastily and wondered what had become of "What?! Too much for me?! Are you crazy?"

D nodded, his eyes fixed on the clothes. Leon itched to make him look at his face, make him stand up. Make him D again.

But he didn't know how. So he just left the room again, mumbling something about looking after Dana and Chris, and felt like a coward for doing it.

* * *

They left early in the next morning. Leon took care of his still half-asleep child while D packed her plushies into the suitcase. Dana was crotchety and tired, not a good combination, and he knew she felt the tension between her fathers, just like T-chan and Pon-chan did, too, who were watching him and their master worriedly. He hated those looks.

Again his eyes took in D's slender form, standing there in front of the suitcase and closing it. Then he turned around and gave Leon a shy smile, insecurity written all over his face. Leon's heart clenched. D had changed so much since he'd pushed him away. Or perhaps it had all been there before, but he had always been too blind to see. It probably had been there. What had D told him on that evening that seemed so long ago? _You frightened me and never realised you do. That was why I hated you so much._

He'd been so blind for so many things for so long. It was time to face them, before it was too late. If it wasn't already.

He tried to stay calm when they took their goodbyes downstairs, hastily because Chris and Sam had to get to school and Mary was in a hurry anyway. Arthur didn't bother to show up, but they were actually glad for that. Leon knew that he'd just have started a fight with him otherwise, and he liked to leave Mary in a good mood, as far as that was possible.

She dropped them off at the airport and wished them well, even hugged Dana awkwardly. Then she left again, leaving them in the great hall. D looked up at the display panels. "Gate 31," he said, grabbing his suitcase and sending Tetsu and Pon-chan a warning glance. They had to behave, else they wouldn't get into the plane.

But to his surprise, Leon shook his head. "It's gate 31 for you," he said to Jill and smiled. "D, we're going to gate 12." He sat Dana down on her feet and knelt in front of his girl. "Dana, will you go back to the shop with Auntie Jill?"

"What?" D couldn't believe what he was hearing. What did the human have in mind now? Why did he not want to take their baby with them if they weren't going back to the shop at once? He could not...

"Count, just do what he suggests, please," Tetsu quietly said into his ear. "We'll take care of Dana, and the shop is doing fine on its own. Please."

D looked at his daughter, who in turn was regarding Leon with confusion. "And where are you going?" she asked timidly. Leon petted her hair.

"Bàbà and I are going to some place called Yellowstone Park. We won't be away for long, I promise."

"Why can't I come, too?" Dana wanted to know, looking like she'd cry any second. Only Tetsu's hand over D's mouth kept the kami silent.

The blonde sighed deeply and embraced his child. "Darling, I'd love to take you with us, believe me. But you know that grown-ups sometimes are complicated. I don't know if I can explain right, but I'll try. You know that we've been fighting a lot lately. That's because we never had the time to work some things out. You know what it's like back at the shop, there's always noise and work and everything." He tipped her nose. "We need a break, Dana. We need to be alone with each other for a while. And we can't even take you along. I'm sorry."

He'd expected her to cry or protest, but she just was silent and looked at him with those blue-golden eyes. "Are you angry with me?" she finally asked, sounding very tiny. Leon shook his head decidedly.

"No, sweetie, never. We both love you very much, don't you know that?"

Dana wrapped her arms around her father and hid her face in his shoulder. "Do you love Bàbà too?" she whispered.

Leon sighed. "Yes, I think I do," he replied just as quietly.

"Will you stop fighting in Yellowstone Park?"

He squeezed her tightly. "I hope we will, baby. And we'll be back before you know. I promise."

D had finally wriggled out of Tetsu's grasp and now burst out enraged. "Are you crazy? I will not leave Dana all alone, nor will I leave Jill all alone with two small children!"

"I can handle those two, don't worry," said woman cut in and smiled in D's angry face. "You go on vacation with Leon and don't worry. I've got help." His gaze fell onto the pets sitting at her feet, looking up at him expectantly. He knew he should insist on coming back to the shop with them, but -

Once they were in LA again, Leon would leave them in the shop and go to live at Jill's apartment until he'd found another one for himself. Perhaps not right away, but soon. Very soon.

Dana made the choice for him by reaching up and piping "Bye, Bàbà!" with her tiny voice. D sent a last helpless glance at his pets, but they obviously were on Leon's side for once. So he picked his child up and hugged her tight, whispering "I promise we will be back soon!" into her ear.

The flight left half an hour later. They watched it from the terrace and D shuddered at the remembrance of another scene just like this.

"Why did you smile back then?" Leon asked suddenly, eyes still on the plane that became tinier and tinier as it gained height. D swallowed.

"I – she brought clarity to my thoughts in that moment," he said with force. "She was – one of my ancestors sold her a phoenix. The poor, foolish girl wished to know his heart – my heart..."

"And? Did she get to know it?" Leon tried to act casual, but he failed.

D nodded, very slowly, turning to the one he'd thought to love. "Yes," he answered. "I told her the truth about my heart."

"You don't know how to love a human, right?" Leon sighed and finally turned to him, too, looking quite miserable. "And? Any changes concerning that since then?"

Again D turned his head to one side, hesitated, then completed the movement by shaking it to the other, too. Leon threaded a hand through his hair desperately. "Great. And now?"

"I – do not know..." D's voice was a whisper, drowning in the noise of the airport. The human pushed himself off the railing and started to walk.

"Let's get to our gate before we miss our flight," he said tiredly and led the way, D following with his hands cramped around his suitcase.

* * *

Leon slept during the flight, while D stared out of the window and watched the earth change below. Cities, rivers, lakes... it all went past him, similar and yet so different to when he was travelling with his shop.

No, he didn't know anything about loving a human. He didn't know how to love Leon without at the same time imprisoning his beloved. His own species was easy in that respect. They chose one partner and were true to him for the rest of their lives. Humans, especially humans like Leon, tended to feel imprisoned by such a strong connection and ran when it got too strong.

D looked at his hands, clasped tightly in his lap. Jill had reminded him again just yesterday that he still had to tell Leon some things about their relationship, but he could not find the courage to do so. He wished so much that Leon would bind them together for all eternity, or at least for the durance of a mortal life, and at the same time he knew this would never come true once Leon got to know all that had happened in Los Angeles during his coma.

D sighed softly and looked at the sleeping human beside him. He could of course blame him for everything as usual. But what sense did that make? Grandfather had been right, he was a dreamer, more than any other of his kin. Perhaps that too was due to his genetic deficiency – the heart that beat differently than theirs did...

As usual, Leon was the one suffering for his inability to control his emotions. D had not known himself how strong the long-hidden feelings were until he had met this human and fallen in love with him. He was scared to death by the realisation. To find out that he was willing to sacrifice everything for this human...

But to ask the same of him was just unfair. D knew that humans were capable of deep, strong feelings, he knew their feelings probably better than his own, and he knew that Leon was one of those who could feel so strongly. But he still doubted that such an idealist as the lion was could dedicate himself so wholly to just one person. He had something to live for, something greater than himself.

D didn't, not anymore. He'd given up his purpose for the sake of this human's soul, and would have given up more just to keep him alive. He had thought that it could work, if he just controlled his pets better, only refrained from killing the humans and hurt them instead, badly, like Janet Williamson...

It wasn't the same. It wasn't what his life had been about. Of course he'd also sold pets without a bitter outcome. But that was because the humans accepted the contract. Not because D had wanted them to live.

Had that been the mistake? Was that the reason why Leon thought D could exist without killing the ones who broke their contracts? Because he'd known that there were those other ones? Without realising that judgement was out of D's reach...

He sighed deeply and returned to watching the earth far below. No, he did not know how to love humans. He only knew how to destroy their lives.

* * *

A/N: Concerning the sentence above about not knowing how to love humans... I've noticed there are differences between the translations. I decided on this version since it fits my purpose best, so please don't wonder about that, it's solely due to author-ical reasons.

Atenea, Dark Inu, Elvina, thank you three ;-)


	25. Waiting for the Inevitable

**Waiting for the Inevitable**

They had a very quiet journey and barely spoke ten words to each other until they finally reached the hotel Leon had elected.

"We've got two separate rooms," he said and handed D a keycard, hesitated. "There's no connecting door," he added. "But if I understand the guys right, there's a balcony in front that connects them..."

The kami smiled, an effort to show his lover that he understood and that he wasn't angry, although all he wished to do was fall into his bed and sleep until this nightmare was over. During the flight he'd come to realise that this might have the advantage of not having to watch Leon leave the shop, but that they also were alone now. Alone for the first time ever, without the shop or Dana around who would take the worst pain away.

"Very well," he answered softly. He couldn't hold it against the human that he wished to sleep in another room, considering what he'd told him at the airport...

But how he wished Leon would understand him for once, too.

They met in the restaurant that evening and had dinner together, watching all the other crazies who'd come here in February, despite the bitter cold. There were a few couples, smiling at each other happily, a few elder people, but this was definitely not the time people chose to have a look at the Yellowstone.

D wondered why they had come here at all. What did Leon want this tour to become?

"Why have you brought me here?" he asked over dessert. The human swallowed and looked at his ice cream to choose the next bite.

"Isn't that obvious? I want to talk to you. I want to get over with everything. I'm sick of you keeping secrets, I don't want to be a guest in the shop anymore."

D's heart clenched. "So this is supposed to be one of those relationship-fixing holidays?" he made sure.

Leon looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. More or less. I don't really know. Do you think there's anything we can still fix? I've been in the pet shop, you know. While I was comatose. I guess your explanation with Kanan fits. I was probably seeing it through her eyes, although there were no pets in it."

D lowered his gaze.

"It was strange, you know," Leon said quietly. "To see all those landscapes in there, fitting into tiny little rooms… But it also was kind of normal. I mean, in my dream. It didn't feel wrong."

"What does feel wrong, then?" D traced a finger over the table.

"The pets. You. I don't know what to think about you anymore. I don't know where I stand in this damn shop. Why are you always keeping secrets?"

"Perhaps because I know that you do not want to know some things about the shop and me."

"Dammit, D, it can't work like that." Leon threaded a hand through his hair, looked around and decided that this place was far too public to discuss these matters. "Let's go somewhere more private. Have you already settled in?"

D glanced at him, nodded and led the way to his room.

Instead of staying in the room, he opened the door to the balcony which connected their rooms and then led down to the floor in a staircase. Leon followed him outside and shivered in the cold night air.

They stood there for a while, lost in the sight of the sky stretching high above them. Then D's voice floated through the darkness. "Do you regret it?"

Leon turned his head to him. "What?"

The kami took a deep breath. "Meeting me."

It was quiet for another long while. "No," Leon said finally. "No, not meeting you. I regret a lot of things – not punching your face in for what you did, for example, or stopping to search for you, or not making my mind up in time – but not meeting you."

A soft, fluttering sigh came from D's direction. Leon leaned against the railing. "And you?" he asked.

The slim silhouette moved in a headshake. "No, Detective, I do most certainly not regret meeting you, despite everything that happened."

"If we could turn back time..."

D sighed again and stopped him thus. "Even if we might want to, we cannot. You know that."

Another silence lasted over the balcony.

"Yeah, I know. You'd have to sell yourself a pet..."

"It still would not change the past. Just offer a chance at a new beginning," D replied. "And I'm not even sure I would be able to adhere the terms of the contract..."

"What, you? Of course you'd be able to. You know more about animals than anyone else."

D took a deep breath. "That is not what the contracts are about, Leon. They are about a lot of things – love, truth, hope – but most of all, they are about acceptance. About accepting boundaries." His lips quirked. "And while I may be able to accept a pet's nature, it seems I am having difficulties accepting the nature of the one thing I really want."

He could not tell Leon more clearly that he loved him more than anything in this world. And how hopeless the situation was, despite their feelings.

"Well, join the club," Leon mumbled and scratched his head uncomfortably. "We're really in deep shit, aren't we?"

"Yes," D agreed quietly.

"Think we can work it out?"

"I do not know," the kami answered honestly. "I once thought we could, but – I think I overestimated our ability to adjust..."

"Do you love me?"

D turned to face Leon and nodded, holding the human's eyes. _Far too much to deal with it, Leon. Far too much to bear the feeling that I'm losing you. I love you with all my selfish heart, and that's why this won't work._

He did not ask if Leon loved him, though. He preferred not to have the last bit of hope destroyed, and hated himself for having become so weak.

"And why?"

He smiled, the ghost of a pained smile. "Because I feel safe in your arms," he said quietly. "Because then I can forget what usually haunts me day and night. I feel like I can just be me, without all that fuss of the shop and my life..."

Leon extended a hand and touched his cheek. "Would I could say the same," he whispered.

D swallowed tears and managed a real smile. "Would I could make you feel the same."

"I don't understand you," the human continued, sounding confused. "You're such a mystery to me, all the time. I don't know why – it's just this way. And I hate it."

The smile grew bitter. _Join the club. I don't understand myself. _"I can return that compliment to you."

The blonde averted his eyes, turned back to look at the clear, dark sky. "Was it a bad idea? Hooking up, I mean?"

"I guess it was too early." D took another steadying breath. "And now..." _It's too late._

He didn't say that, fearing that speaking it out loud would make it true. As if that would make any difference anymore.

"Is it?" Leon sounded tired. "I don't know, D... I don't know anything anymore..."

They parted half an hour later, whispering shy goodbyes after staring into the star-spotted sky for a long time, hoping to perhaps catch sight of a falling star.

* * *

He had finally worked up the courage to tell Leon about LA the next evening. And he couldn't help but marvel at their inability to do what they had come here for – talk. Because they spent the whole day walking around, looking at whatever natural wonder was near, without speaking a word. Was it always this difficult to right things?

Probably it was. Otherwise he wouldn't have so many customers.

They had reached the hotel again when he held Leon back and searched his eyes.

"Would you please come with me? I have to… tell you something."

Leon nodded, obviously relieved that D had started talking and followed him into his room. D made him sit down on the bed, took the chair and started to speak before he could rethink his decision.

"Do you remember those strange events in Los Angeles? Those that began shortly after you went to New York?"

Leon nodded, his blue eyes becoming hard. "Yeah, I do. The man who cut off his own fingers, and the baby-collector, and that mafia guy. Aaron Sandler, Cathleen Turner and Remigio Cocuzzi."

"There has been another incident similar to those. Seven people went missing. The police got a tip and found them skewered on some ancient spears in the house of a certain Dixon Walter."

"Dixon Walter?" Leon wrinkled his brow. "Name doesn't ring any bells."

D smiled unhappily. "I would be surprised if it would. It turned out that he had help. A young man named Ali Abdoullah."

Leon went very silent.

"You sold them something." It wasn't a question.

"Nepenthes ventricosa and Lanius collurio. A meat-eating tropical plant and a red-backed shrike."

He should perhaps have told Leon more carefully. But then, in retrospect, he didn't know if that would have changed anything.

"Dammit, D, can't you ever sell a pet that's not sure to make his master miserable?" Leon exploded, his volume rising at once. "What's your fucking problem? Are you jealous if someone else is happy or what? Why can't you _ever_ let something go? Those damn contracts can't be that important to you!"

"They were not broken."

"What?!" Leon's voice overturned. "You're telling me those guys killed seven people for _nothing_?"

"Not exactly for nothing. They killed them because of us."

That silenced the blonde very effectively. He stared at the kami, D returning his gaze calmly. This was the truth and he couldn't conceal it any longer. Too much was at stake.

Finally Leon gave a little chuckle. "Yeah. Of course. Whaddya mean, they got killed because of us?"

"They got killed because we were fighting. Because you went to New York and left me alone, to be correct."

"They turned to killers because I went to New York? You've lost your marbles. That can't be true."

"It is the truth. Do you understand now why I refused to tell you all truths about the shop?"

Leon lost it, completely. "DAMN HELL, D! Why didn't you do something?!" he yelled. "Why did you not go and keep them from _killing_ other people?! I know that you know what's gonna happen to your pets, so why didn't you care, for fuck's sake? What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, not as long as I can fulfill my duties like I used to before I met you!"

"You're telling me there's nothing wrong with killing people for breaking a stupid contract? You're completely insane!"

"You didn't understand me one time!" D screamed, not able to bear the accusations anymore. "You never even tried to understand me! If you had just listened to me sometimes, if you had just not run away like a coward, everything would have been fine!"

"Okay, so it's my fault again, yes? No, D, we're way past the point where you can blame anything that goes fucking wrong on me! I'm not the one who's responsible for your crazy mood swings, I'm not the one who, who goes and sells murder pets in spite of his promise!"

"I never told them to kill anyone!" D's voice was so loud that probably everyone in the whole hotel heard him. "I never wanted them to kill anyone, and if you had just agreed to get a second child, _nothing_ would have happened!"

"That's crazy!" Leon roared. "In which fucking way would a child have affected those freak pets, can you tell me that, huh?!"

"It would have affected _me_, you stupid ignorant human, and would have held me back from losing control over myself!"

The silence that suddenly fell was louder than their screams.

"What does that mean, D?" Leon finally asked, very quietly. The kami sat down on the bed and hid his face in his hands.

"Nothing would have happened, had you just said yes," he murmured. "Nothing. The hormones would have made me protective and held my aggressions in check, but no, you had to say no, and I… I…"

Leon swallowed hard. "Those people. Not only those two guys who collected bodies, but the others, too, Aaron Sandler, Cathleen Turner and even Remigio Cocuzzi. They were all due to you. I knew it. I knew from the first moment…"

D didn't look at him. Leon got up and went over, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him hard.

"You promised!" he yelled. "You promised me you wouldn't kill them anymore!"

"Not one of them died!"

D pushed him back, away from him, and Leon stumbled back to the chair. D started pacing the room, looking like a great panther in the zoo, imprisoned in his cage and wanting to break out. He frightened Leon. This wasn't D anymore, this was some wild animal on the verge of madness.

"Not one of them!" the kami repeated, growling, and spun round to glare at Leon from wild, fierce eyes. "They only killed others, but none of them was killed, so don't you dare tell me I did not keep my promise!"

"But I didn't mean that your customers should start killing other people in spite of getting killed themselves!" Leon protested. D hissed.

"It is never enough for you, is it? Never! Just like any other wretched human on this planet, you demand ever more and more and more, until earth cannot give any more, because she is just sucked dry! And you still demand more of her!"

"Why did you give me that promise at all if you knew it was going to turn out like that?" Leon was angry, yes, but he was also afraid now. Truly afraid. He hadn't intended anything like that when he made D give this promise. He hadn't wanted to hurt the kami, not any more than he'd wanted to hurt those people and their victims, dammit!

"Because I did not know!" said kami shrieked and punched the wall. A crack split the flowers there. "How was I supposed to know something like this would happen?! I have never, ever loved anyone like I love you, so how should I know? You could have prevented all of this had you just been more observant, had you just been my partner instead of running from me!"

"My fault, my fault, it's always my fault! How was I supposed to know that either, huh, if you yourself didn't know? I don't even get it now!"

D whirled round and pressed Leon down in his chair, his eyes blazing. "You are my mate, Detective, and I need my mate to be near me to keep my balance. If I do not feel that I have your love, I am insecure, I start to get jealous, I start to defend my territory like any other animal. And by staying away from me for weeks and weeks on end, you just triggered my instincts which told me to fight. My animals felt it, everyone in the shop felt it and those outside, too. But I had promised you not to kill, so they didn't kill, they just _attacked_, drove their masters insane or caused them to hurt others. That's what this is about, Detective! I am not like you, I cannot live without fighting for what I love."

He suddenly let go again of Leon and stood there, with his back to the human. All his rage had disappeared, he shuddered and almost seemed to hug himself protectively.

Leon knew he should have stayed and taken care of him.

Instead he fled. This was too much for one night.

* * *

A/N: I think this chapter really warrants the label "Sadistic author on the loose". Do I have to worry about someone sending over a killer team or nice men in white jacekts?


	26. Dealing With It

**Dealing With It**

Dark and star-spotted. The sky was so much higher out here than in Los Angeles. People came here to celebrate their love, to enjoy nature. They were here to celebrate their break-up. Because they both knew it was there, waiting for them, and D for his part was too tired to fight the inevitable anymore. He had to let it happen, had to succumb to the mechanisms of human relationships for once. For Leon's best, for his best, and also for their child's best.

It wasn't the human's fault, and neither was it D's. He had come to realise that while Leon was comatose. He could not change his very nature. Gods knew he had tried, but he couldn't go on lying about that any longer. He and Leon just wanted different things from life. D wanted the human to be at his side for the rest of his living days. Leon needed his freedom.

How easy it had once been to tell his customers, those stupid humans, that they had to let things go. That everything could come to an end, and that they weren't entitled to imprison another being. He'd prided himself that he would never make that mistake, given that he someday found someone he wanted to spend his life with. After all, he could accept being left, he'd been left by so many of his pets, by whole races, by his own grandfather and father...

The young kami sighed and rested his forehead against the cool glass of the window. His kin chose one partner and stayed with him. That had not been difficult once, for they were always surrounded by their kind. Plenty possibilities to fall in love with a partner who had the same life-span, the same reason to live.

There were only three of them left, a grandfather, a teenager and a child. Not the best combination to find a partner. So he had turned to Leon, a human, a member of the species he was supposed to despise, because he for some reason had thought him to be different to the rest of humanity. And he was. That was what made it so bad. Leon was different than most humans. But not different enough. His ways of thinking, of being and dealing with life...

D could not live up to Leon's ideal. He had denied himself for Leon's sake, had given a promise he could not keep, although he had known already back then that it could never be the same. He had not known the terrible consequences, but he supposed he should have been able to guess them. Instead he had closed his eyes and ears to the signals, the warnings from his pets and his grandfather. This was what he got for being so determined not to see the truth.

He doubted he'd ever felt half as miserable in his life. He had to end this and ask Leon to give his promise back, in spite of what he knew would happen then. Self-denial would only lead to further fights, and finally to the point where they wouldn't even be able to talk to each other anymore. Doing that to Dana was out of the question. If she couldn't have both parents with her, she at least deserved parents who were able to keep their differences off her.

He sighed heavily. Yes, Dana. If it just wasn't for the child... she made everything that already was complicated three times worse. Leon had known why he'd sent her with Jill. He didn't even want to think how he would explain to the child that Daddy would move out again, only a few months after he'd moved in. It wasn't as easy as before, when she had been a real baby. He had the shop to tend to, a business to run; Leon wouldn't give up his job either; Dana was too young and too special to be sent to a kindergarten and now that she had lost her sight for the other world the shop was dangerous for her, too.

Perhaps it would have been better had she never been born. Then now she wouldn't have to suffer for her parents' inability to deal with their lives.

Should he try to hold back the tears?

No, D decided. Better to have cried them before he faced Leon in the morning, told the human that there was no sense in this.

And so he allowed himself to be weak one last time.

* * *

The sun had not yet risen behind the trees when Leon stepped out of his room, but the sky was already lighting up. Only a few seconds later the second door opened and D came out, too. He shyly smiled at Leon and the human had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. He'd never felt so bad for breaking up with someone before. But if he was still any good at interpreting the look on D's tired face, the kami already knew what was up. Well, it had been pretty clear. No surprise there, was it? Why had they even tried?

"Good morning, Detective," D said, his voice quiet. "Did you sleep well?"

That was it. Get over with it. Quick and easy.

Leon took a deep breath. "No, I didn't sleep at all. Listen, D, we have to talk. This can't go on like this. We're ruining our lives, Dana's life, with what we're doing here."

"Yes."

Leon didn't know whether he should be surprised by D's agreement. He decided not to be. The kami was, after all, a clever being. He had denied him that concession far too long.

"I have to talk to you, too," D said. The blonde looked up at him. He still smiled, but it was the saddest smile Leon had ever seen on that face. "But please, go first. I am inexperienced in such matters."

He knew. Not that this made it any easier. Leon dried his hands on his jeans. "You can't do much wrong when you're breaking up with someone," he replied quietly. "So you think we should give it up, too?"

"Yes." D's voice was surprisingly strong and decided. But he was a strong character. And that was something Leon had to tell him, no matter what would become of them afterwards.

But first things first. Leon looked at his shoes. "Are you – what you said about balance last night, when we were fighting. Did you really mean it? That you're out of balance when I'm not there?"

"… yes."

He took a deep breath. "So, if we're breaking up…"

"Nothing will happen to anyone because of it. The point about this is that you have to be my mate. If you are not my mate anymore, why should I lose balance when you are not there?"

D looked honest, but Leon still asked, "Are you sure?"

There was a bitter smile on those lips. "Yes, Detective, I am quite sure. I do not even know if the trick with the baby would have worked. Shuko told me already weeks ago that it would be wise to end our relationship. I would not listen to her." He turned to the side and avoided looking at Leon.

The human took another deep breath. They had to get things clear off the plate if anything good was to come out of this. And he had to get some things off his mind.

"D, I apologise. I didn't want this. I didn't want to force you to become someone else for me. You're not the person I fell in love with years ago, and it's my fault. Well, partly. I blamed everything on you, the whole fucking situation with Dana and the shop. But it's not your fault, it's mine as well. I was a coward, I stopped searching when I knew I shouldn't have. I was afraid to sacrifice – I don't know – kind of my life for you. You did, when I asked you. I'm sorry I expected you to do what I wasn't ready to do. I'm sorry I called you names, I'm sorry I blamed you. But when you just took it without arguing, I dunno, I told myself that I was right to be angry at you... and I wasn't. I know you did it because you love me and believe it's your fault. I don't know how to say this without you getting it wrong – I suck so terribly at doing this – but I don't want that. I don't want a D who says yes to everything I say. I don't want to have my will at your expense. It's not fair, it's not how it should be between us. You're far too precious for that, and I'm sorry I forgot that."

D opened his mouth, but Leon plunged on, desperate to get over with his speech before he forgot one of the points he'd thought of in the night.

"I give you back your promise. I'm sorry I made you give it in the first place. It's yours again. Do what you need to do. I'm never going to ask you for it again."

Silence hovered on the balcony. Leon didn't dare look up until D finally spoke.

"I was planning to ask you for it." The voice was steady and strong, although he spoke quietly. "But I thank you for giving it back of your own accord." D took a step closer, made the human look at him, not trying to conceal the feelings his eyes were showing. "I also apologise. For not seeing it earlier and for asking things of you you cannot give. I should not have done that either." He sighed deeply and looked at the trees before he spoke again. "Would you – answer one last question, please?"

"Any."

The naked pain in those eyes made Leon almost take D into his arms. But common sense argued, and for once, he listened to it.

"Did you love me at all?"

Again the urge to embrace, protect the fragile creature opposite to him was almost overpowering. His voice croaked. "I still do, D."

The kami nodded, slowly. For a moment, a split second, he smiled as he laid his hand on Leon's. "Thank you," he whispered. Then he turned, hurried down the stairs and disappeared into the woods.

* * *

D stayed in the woods for three days. Leon used the time to get thoroughly drunk and summon up his courage to call Jill. His friend was appropriately pissed and angry before becoming appropriately sad. "And you really don't think you could pull yourself together again?" she asked, sounding as meek as a child who'd just gotten told her parents were handing in their divorce. Leon swallowed the lump in his throat.

"No, Jill, I don't think that'd be good for either of us. You know yourself how much he changed. Me too, but he – he's so unhappy with it. I can't force him to be someone he isn't. I don't want to."

"You really do love him, don't you?" Her voice was quiet and sad. He stared at his feet which he'd propped against the headboard of his bed.

"Yeah, I do."

"It's just unfair, you know that, right? Everybody wants someone who loves him, and waits and hopes for that special someone to come. And you two – you've found that someone, but you just can't be together! It's not fair."

"And when exactly did life start to be fair to anyone?" Leon inquired ironically, knowing what Jill meant, but not able to bear it. Dammit, this would be so much easier if he could just forget – forget how vulnerable D had become, how much he wanted to protect him now that he knew how he could do that...

"Well, it didn't ring me up either," Jill said frustrated. "I guess it just skipped being fair on us and went straight on to all those bastards living in nice little houses where the lawn is always mown and the worst that can happen is that the son's gay."

"Probably," Leon agreed. "Perhaps I should go and shoot some of them. Just for fun, you know."

She chuckled to that. Then a baby started crying in the background and she sighed. "Jamie's hungry. Call you later?"

"Yeah. Give Dana a hug. From D, too. And don't tell her anything yet, okay?"

"Okay."

He hung up and flipped the phone over and over in his hands, staring at the ceiling.

At last he got up and took a walk in the forest. He didn't expect to find D. The kami was too good for a trained scout, and Leon was a city detective. But out here, he felt closer to the one he loved in spite of their differences.

He could deal with them. He could deal with D being immortal, and stronger, and better than Leon, could deal with oceans in the cellar and sabre-toothed tigers in the backyard, with things beyond his imagination, if one just gave him time to understand. He'd told D the truth when he'd said that in his dream these things had felt okay. Natural. He knew he would be able to handle those once he was back at the shop.

He couldn't deal with D not caring. That was more beyond Leon's comfort zone than any pet the shop could offer. He could not accept D treating a human life like shit, like it didn't matter if that human lived or died. And he knew how weird that sounded from a police officer, someone who'd shot numerous criminals without a second thought. The thoughts came after, when he saw the body lying there, unmoving, lifeless.

It wasn't like D to ponder if he was right or wrong in killing someone else. For him it was a matter of instinct. He protected those he had been born to protect. Making him miserable by forcing him to deny that which he was would just be like forbidding Leon to swear and listen to his music and be a detective. No, even more. It was more than that, it was D.

For some time he'd played with the thought that he could perhaps deal with D's opinion in that matter by telling himself that the kami did care about some humans, like Chris, for example. But the boy was one of six billions humans on this planet. Even if he counted all those other customers who'd not been eaten, it still wasn't enough. He wanted D to care like he did, just for once...

Leon took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew he was asking too much there, just like D was asking too much of him when he wanted Leon to love the pet shop.

"I want you back, D," he whispered to the dark trees. "I want you back so damn much, that fucking superior asshole, the one with no feelings, the one I can be angry with, the one I can scream at, the one that puzzles me all the time and doesn't give a damn about anything besides his pets. I want you back."

* * *

The kami returned as unexpected as he'd left. He just sat on the balcony, watching the rising sun, when Leon opened his door, woken by the feeling that something had changed. He stopped when he saw D, who turned to him. For some moments they regarded each other in silence before D spoke, his voice soft but strong.

"Good morning, Leon."

The blonde cleared his throat and tried to decide what to make of this. Usually, if D wanted to emphasise the distance between them, he called Leon "Detective".

"I decided that this is stupid," D answered the unspoken question and turned his head back to the trees. "You are calling me D. I will call you Leon from now on. I think that what we have lived up together by now entitles me to do so."

Leon couldn't help but smile. D sounded – he sounded so much like himself again. Self-assured, in control of those around him. "I should probably argue, should I not?" he asked, stepping up beside the kami and watching the sunrise himself.

"If you insist, I won't stop you."

"No, it's okay. Fine with me." Well, then it was Leon from now on. Leon spoken with a different tone. "Did you cuddle some trees? You were in those woods for long enough to have cuddled them all."

"I had three good days, yes. What did you do in the meantime?"

Leon shrugged. "Not much. Called Jill. Got drunk. Told Dana I don't know when we'll be back again and got a few threats on my life from Tetsu if I should not bring you back in one piece. Pon-chan was just – well, sad. Nothing out of the ordinary."

He saw the small smile flitting over D's even face. It looked at the same time as unearthly as before, and yet, somehow more lively than Leon could remember.

They sat and waited until the sun was up in the sky before the blonde spoke again. "So – what shall we do now that you're back? You wanna go back to LA?"

"I do not care, to be honest. I would like to see Dana, but I can be of use here, too. Some of the animals in the forest asked me for help while I was there." D sent Leon a glance. "What about you?"

"I'm still on sick leave. And I could use some days vacation, to be true..."

"Then we will stay here for another couple of days. It makes no difference if we tell Dana today or in three days. Did she ask when we would come home?"

Leon shook his head. "No, I told her that you were in the woods with some animals, but that we would come home as soon as you are back. She didn't say anything, just told me that she was making cookies with Jill. I guess she… well, knows."

"Dana is very intelligent," D said quietly. "We must help her to come to terms with all the things she understands, but is not yet able to truly deal with."

"You think we're gonna do any better there? So far we've not proven to be good parents."

D sat still and turned his face into the sun. "I see no reason why we should not be able to learn from our mistakes and do better next time."

The human sighed. "Well, you're the one here who's old enough to know." Then his face got curious. "D, how old are you truly?"

"It is not polite to ask such a question." The kami opened his eyes again and smiled mysteriously. "But if you insist to know, I am about 48 years old."

"Forty-eight?! Are you kidding me? That young?!"

Now he chuckled at Leon's surprise. "48 years can already be a whole human life. Measured by my species' standards, however, I am barely a teenager."

Leon's look was highly sceptical. "Can't exactly say that you fit into the teenager-mom scheme."

"Grandfather would surely argue with you about that point, if he would consider talking to you."

"Jeez, Dana really hit the jackpot," Leon sighed and shook his head. "I mean, Aunt Mary and Uncle Arthur didn't take Chris away from me for no reason..."

"I would surely argue with your aunt and uncle about that point, too, if I would consider talking to them ever again."

Leon was just in time to see the mischievous sparkle in D's eyes before the kami again pretended to be much more interested in a cloud. He smiled. "Think I'd like to have a debate with Q-chan 'bout that, if he ever turns up in the shop while I'm there."

Standing up, he stretched and then extended a hand towards D. "Okay, I'd say, let's get breakfast. Then I'm going to take a shower and you can go back to your pets."

D let himself be drawn up. "And what are you going to do in the meantime?" he asked curiously. Leon grinned and shrugged.

"Well, dunno. But I was shot recently. Perhaps I'll just go lie in the sun for a while."

* * *

D was off again after breakfast and Leon did what he'd told the kami he was going to do and lay down in the sun. One of the other guests stopped by and he chatted with her some time, until he suddenly felt the eyes on him.

Looking up, he saw D standing between the trees, watching him. Leon sat up and startled his new friend. "Is something the matter?" she asked and turned round, then blushed when she saw D. "Oh, I'd better – better be on my way, then…"

"Please do not feel that you have to leave," D's soft voice said and the kami came closer. There was no trace of his usual scorn or jealousy at Leon's company on his face. Which was good. Real good.

"Leon, have you brought along that medical tape you sometimes use?"

The human stared for a moment, then he got up. "Yeah, sure. What do you need it for?"

"I have come across someone who is hurt," D answered, avoiding any specification, which probably meant it was an animal. Leon fetched the medical tape without further questions.

* * *

It went like this for nearly a week. D left in the morning, right after breakfast, and he returned just in time for dinner. At some point, Leon doubted if he'd ever known such quietness in his life. There was something to this whole "vacation fixes relationships"-theory. It hadn't worked for them, true, but he still felt – better. Okay with himself, now that things were clear between D and him, and okay with D, who was slowly becoming his old self again.

Well, kind of his old self. Leon also doubted he would ever be able to forget how vulnerable the kami really was beneath his cool exterior, or how much insecurity there was beneath his all-knowing smirk. Leon suspected that D had been taught about human feelings alright, but never really experienced any strong feelings himself before they'd met. Talk about a crash course.

Sitting at his window, Leon watched D leaving again for the woods, carrying a small bag with him that contained different kinds of medical instruments. Very primitive medical instruments, but Leon guessed that D knew how they worked and could use them efficiently. Sometimes he thought there was nothing the kami couldn't use perfectly. He seemed to know so much. He had been to so many places.

Okay, 48 meant he was barely 20 years older than Leon, but if one had set his mind on it, 20 years could be a lot of time. Just guessing by the languages D could speak, he suspected Grandpa had dragged him all over Europe when D had been a kid. He didn't even know what D's childhood had been like, apart from the fact that he'd been raised by his grandfather and wasn't too fond of his father. He didn't know what had happened to cause all this.

Leon left his post and started to pace his room. He couldn't help but feel that he'd still overlooked some tiny detail in this whole mess. The missing piece of the puzzle. It couldn't be that this had been all. Their relationship, no matter how difficult and fucked up it was, had to have been more than just some fluff and kisses and silly promises given blindly in hopes that it would work somehow. There had been a time when he hadn't cared at all about the fact that D was an alleged murderer anymore. He wasn't stupid (at least, not as stupid as most assumed he was), he knew why he had trusted D and no one else with Chris.

Was it their families? Was it their lives or their points of view? Why did he break up with the one person that had ever been important enough to risk his life and sanity for him?

How much did he still not know about D?

* * *

A/N: People, people, you made me a very happy author with the revs for last chapter :-) Thank you for that, Anna, Atenea, Dark Inu, Elvina, hieiashke and inudoggie (nice doubling of names, if I may mention that ^^). To everyone, hope you enjoyed this chapter ;-)

inudoggieearlover: It's difficult to say something to the accusation of being a coward, because everyone defines it differently. I myself think it's extremely difficult to deal with emotional issues, especially emotional issues that are connected to guilt and the feeling of helplessness. I consider myself a strong person, but I think that in Leon's shoes, I would have reacted no differently. He's recently gone through coma, before that his relationship turned out to be extremely difficult and not at all something he could deal with, his best friend to whom he could usually go to with all of his problems has a whole bunch of problems herself, and now he has to deal with the fact that he, in a way, is responsible for several severe crimes. The fact that he didn't know it could turn out like this won't keep him from feeling responsible all the same, because he's Leon. And yes, he has understood that humankind does deserve a kick (because this series starts after vol. 10); but really, having understood that and being the one who, albeit unwillingly, kicked? Whole different kettle of fish.  
One of the sad truths of life is that what we want isn't always what we should get. That is the moral of several of the original pet shop stories as well and something I've found to be true far too often. Leon got what he wanted - he is on the ship/in the shop. What he did not think about was that D maybe did have a reason for pushing him away...

I hope I could answer your questions, but if not, don't hesitate to say that, please ^^ Also, thank you for that extended review; I'm happy that I can give you a good read ^^ On the issue of "Music", I won't be adding anything to this one-shot, I think; in fact, I'm considering moving it into the Mixed Pickles collection, which you can always read if you want to read more short stories by me ^^


	27. One Ring to Bind Them

Hei guys.

This is officially the last chapter of _Unexpected_. I know my author's notes are usually at the end, but I want you to finish the story with the actual ending and not with my babbling.

This story is, as I've been told by various people (last but not least my beta and best friend) quite the emotional turmoil. I know that. I also know that I could have written it better and I now wish that I had. Looking at your own story from an objective perspective is never easy and I only now realised while posting it that there's a lot to do better yet. Well, it can't be changed *sigh* To those two people who tried to bring out the best I could offer, thank you very much. Being subjected to my weird ideas, ever-changing storylines, mistakes due to cultural differences, grammar and spelling errors a child wouldn't make has to be annoying, so thank you, Nani, and thank you, CFF.

Anyway, despite the fact that I'm as usual irked by myself, I hope that you were able to enjoy this piece. As depressing as it is, it's only a story which I thought up. I could say that I'm sorry for not having written something romantic and happy, but actually, I'm not. Because I tried to write a story that could happen like this or similar in real life, too. Which is always difficult, because we all look at life from different perspectives. Reading this, one could come to think that my life is actually quite fucked up; but the truth is that I think some things just aren't meant to be and that, if you realise that they aren't, you should act according to this and not try to bring about a happy end with force. And such a happy end I actually did have in mind when I started writing this here.

That was before I realised just how complicated this relationship really is. Or this story, which was extremely difficult to write, and, I guess, also difficult to read for you. So thank you for having read it at all and thank you for letting me know what you thought about it, especially the ones from whom I got comments saying that the story made memories surface again. I was deeply grateful that you wanted to share that with me, as probably some of them are quite painful for you. Thank you for going through this with my dear protagonists and me.

Enaty

* * *

**One Ring to Bind Them**

D's eyes went wide for a moment when he stepped out of his room the next morning and found Leon already waiting for him, ready to go.

"I'll come along," he said, in his Don't-try-to-talk-me-out-of-it voice.

D was smart. He tried the sneaky way.

"I am a very fast walker, Leon, and I have to go deep into the woods. I doubt we can return for lunch. I barely make it back in time for dinner."

Leon took his rucksack. "Figured as much. I've got some food and water in here."

"I am not going to carry you back should you not be able to keep step."

The blonde rolled his eyes and followed his ex as he stepped down the stairs. "Yeah, okay. Same goes for you. So you better don't need a sugar fix like back with those terrorists. I didn't pack any chocolate, just so you know."

He suspected that D was smiling to himself. But the kami had of course turned his back on him and went in front, so he could only guess.

They went off the marked trails pretty fast, but D seemed to know where to go, and Leon trusted him anyway. For nearly two hours they made their way through thicket and trees, occasionally stopping to say hello to a bypassing animal. They all looked at Leon curiously, but didn't say anything. He tried to see them in both forms and clear his sight for D's world, but all he accomplished was to see two shapes lingering over each other.

Still, for his first try to consciously accept this stuff, Leon guessed it was pretty good.

D knew of course what he was trying, and Leon caught him smirking when he rolled his eyes in an attempt to separate the two forms of a beaver. The animal laughed at him and Leon glared. "I'm still learning how to do it, okay?" he growled.

The kami smiled as he sent the animal off with a pat and turned to proceed. "Of course, Leon, they know that. But you look very cute when you are rolling your eyes all the same."

Which was probably why he didn't offer to help him with it.

Leon couldn't discern any pattern from D's movements, it seemed as if he was just walking through the park, occasionally stopping to look at trees and such, but he suspected that the kami indeed had a plan. But since he didn't seem to spend too much attention on it, he decided that he could ask now as well as later.

"D, why is it so important for you to kill us?"

The question rang through the forest and would usually have made D mad, but he knew that Leon had had something in mind when he decided to accompany him. So he'd been waiting for it and was rather relieved that the human had finally spit it.

Scrutinising a pine tree, he answered. "I do never plan to kill anyone with a pet, Leon. I do not tell them that they are to kill their new master on that and that date. I sell them dreams, love and hope. Second chances. What they do with it is not my concern. Only when they fail the contract do I come and retrieve the pet."

"You said that you need to kill. Is this something about you being an avenger for your species?"

The red lips quirked. "'Revenge' is not always what you humans define as such. And my duty is to protect as well as to avenge." He stopped and sent Leon an earnest glance. "I – or better, the pets themselves – punish those who wrong them. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Is there something like a quota? You know, you have to kill five people a month so you don't go insane?" Leon coughed and stopped. D at once halted his steps, too.

"That is absurd, Leon. Of course there is no such quota. Why do you always accuse me of being a mindless murderer? Sometimes I think you have never really grasped what was going on around you."

Leon had caught his breath again, so he turned and lead the way, hiding his hurt over this remark.

"When was the last time one of your customers died because of a pet?"

He kept his speed down, knowing the human would otherwise soon lose his breath again. He was anyway surprisingly fit, considering his recent injury.

"Are you asking about the time in Japan or America?"

"Dunno. Both."

"Japan – shortly before you arrived in the shop. America – if you count Miss Monica, shortly before Chris left again."

"But you said it wasn't you who sold her that phoenix."

"Then it must have been Lao Tao Wei."

"That triad guy? You killed him?!"

D turned and smirked at the human. "You know, Leon, there was a time when wounds that looked like inflicted by an animal would have caused you to come running to the shop, screaming at me. I confess I always wondered why you never connected the claw marks on his body looking like a tiger's claws to me."

Leon returned the look and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I was pretty glad that he was dead, truth be told? Anyway – how many did you get? I mean, since I know you?"

D shrugged and tried to remember. "I am not sure. Ten, I think."

The look he got for that was clearly unbelieving. "Ten? Are you kidding me?"

D smiled again. "I always told you I am not half as bad as you thought."

Leon blushed slightly. "But there were a few deaths earlier. Before I came into the shop for the first time."

"Yes. But you asked me about the time since I know you."

He stood still while the human regarded him for a long time. "You know that the triad guy alone probably killed more people in a week than you got in one year?"

The smile grew soft. "Like I said, 'revenge' is often a matter of opinion."

Then he turned and they continued on their way without speaking further. D was not intent on talking and Leon silently scolding himself. Why had he never counted up all the victims? They were so few in contrast to how many lives a gang war demanded...

"So what's the deal with the pets going crazy because I was away from the shop? Did you know something like that could happen?"

D stopped to look at another pine tree and sighed softly. "No, I did not. How should I know? It has never happened before. Leon, I am not sure I can even find any explanation that will satisfy you. I do not know if there exists one. It is something you have to feel, not something you can explain."

"Try me. I'm good where instinct is needed, ain't I?"

The kami sent him a bemused glance. "I remember telling you so on various occasions, yes. However, seeing the events of the past months, I think I have to redeem that statement."

Leon just kept looking at him. D sighed again and sat down on some spot of moss.

"My pets and I share a certain connection. That is how I know when a contract has been broken. It is usually one-sided; I can feel what they feel, but we both keep our integrity, if you want to call it such. However, when I started suppressing my aggressions and feelings of insecurity, they needed to go somewhere. Since the bond is unconscious, they went through it to the pets. And of course the pets whose masters were in similar situations were afflicted the most. Each and every one was afraid of losing something. Remigio Cocuzzi was afraid of losing his status as a criminal, Cathleen Turner had lost her daughter, Aaron Sandler was getting divorced from his wife. Ali Abdoullah was having a serious identity crisis because of the war in his homeland, and Dixon Walter… I think he was losing his faith in god."

He shrugged. "And there you go. It was just a little push. A snowball effect, if you want."

Leon played with his watch. "Are you happy that they're out of the picture?"

D shook his head and gazed into the distance.

"No triumph over human stupidity?"

"In this case, Leon, it was my own stupidity that caused those events. And I regret to have made this mistake. I am sure they all would have broken their contracts sooner or later. It still should not have been me who caused those events."

Leon supposed he wouldn't get anything better. He couldn't expect D to feel about this like he did.

Instead he changed topics. "So, how will we go on once we're back in LA? How're we going to tell the public we've split up?"

D's smile mocked him. "We could put in an announcement in one of the newspapers. But I assure you it would be much quicker and cheaper to just tell Mrs. Chang or Mrs. Shao."

Leon grimaced. "Right. They'll spread the news right after having skinned me for breaking up with you."

"I doubt Mrs. Shao would do that. After all, you have done her a service. Now she can hope again to marry poor Lin off to me." D looked away. "In vain, of course, but she will never realise this."

"Why in vain?" the human asked, shuddering in the cold. "Does your species never marry?"

The kami looked at him and smiled. "We did, in the old times, yes. Not like humans, of course, but we had rituals similar to theirs. Not that those would have been necessary, mind you. It was mostly for the humans' sake. They felt much better if we did things similar to them."

The blonde shuddered again and started pacing to keep himself warm. "So what does 'not necessary' mean, then?"

D's eyes were looking at some far away distance. "You may have heard that there are some species which are indeed monogamous. Mine is one of them. Once we choose a partner, we stay with him for the rest of our lives."

He said that so casually, so matter-of-factly that Leon needed a moment to get behind the words. Then he felt a wave of guilt and fear crash down on him.

"What does that mean?" he demanded to know, alarmed. "You mean, you can't choose another mate? But – what about the pets then, and, and the customers…"

D held up a hand and calmed the human down again. "Do not worry," he said, looking at the floor. "It does not happen if we lose our mate. We mourn his loss, but we do not go insane like I almost did. That was… probably due to the fact that I felt insecure. Our emotional agitation shows, of course. But never to the point that pets start to kill when our mate simply dies. I can… tell myself that you died. It works."

Leon could hear 'human influence' in D's words. He hoped that D was right. "Fuck, D, I'm so sorry," he muttered.

"We are different, Leon. I have always known that. You are not responsible for me ignoring this fact." D's voice sounded as calm and collected as it did when he was talking about the mistake a customer had made.

"Still," the human argued. "I mean, if I am… am I your mate?"

"Of course." D actually sounded slightly amused, as if the answer had been crystal clear from the start. Leon didn't really agree with him there, but he could see why it would be clear for D.

He made his feelings known with a single word. "Fuck."

"Mind your language. I still do not approve of it."

"I didn't want to fuck this up, D. I didn't want to fuck up any of this. I mean, I want you to be happy, too… If you were human, you could just, I don't know, hook up with someone else and be happy with him or her."

D's smile was almost mocking, but something like cherish shone through. "Don't you humans have a saying? Time heals all wounds. You will feel less guilty about it in some weeks."

Leon shot him a glance. "Great, smartass. You're telling me that you'll mourn for me for the rest of your life, which will probably be very long, but that I should care less about? That's not the way it's…"

"But it is the way it shall go, at least if you ask me," D firmly cut him off.

"I don't want you to play martyr, you know. I don't need that."

"Martyrdom is relative. I always had the impression that people choose to become a martyr. If I am to be completely honest, I never chose to fall in love with you, Leon. Besides, it won't be of any use to me if you feel guilty for unchangeable circumstances for the rest of your life, too. Which is, if I may add that, anyway far shorter than mine. Are you now going to waste it on useless self-punishment?"

D had a point, and a good one, too. Like he usually did, smartass that he was.

Leon sighed deeply. "Hell, first we break up because I'm not observant enough to your feelings, and then you go at me for trying to be more sensitive? Try to understand women and you're lost."

At least he got D smiling with that one. "I am not a woman, and I doubt it would be of much use in my case to understand them. We should go now. It is too cold for you to be standing around for long."

They reached D's destination shortly after that and Leon got to know what he needed all those medical stuff for. On a small clearing animals of every size and race were waiting patiently for the kami to turn up, most showing injuries. Leon clicked his tongue, which made them jump back.

"Let nature take her course? This looks more like Doctor Doolittle to me, D."

"Do not be silly. Those injuries were all caused by humans. I would not tend them if they weren't. But again, your species has chosen to interfere in a functioning ecological system, and it is the animals who have to bear the consequences. Are you going to stand there the whole day or are you going to help me?"

Leon chose the latter. First, he was going to freeze to death if he just stood around. And second, D had caused a bad conscience with his remark. Again. He was really good at that.

But then, they both had a lot of experience with getting under each other's skin.

* * *

Darkness fell while they were still on their way home. Somewhere far off, a wolf started howling, soon joined by his pack. Leon was cold, despite the fact that he'd worked the whole time, and at that sound, he shivered even more.

A warm hand took his. "Mind your step, Leon, and do not worry about the pack. I know them. They will not hurt you."

"You said that about Kate, too," Leon answered dryly.

"And I am still convinced that I am right. She never meant to harm you. She was simply defending her young one. If you want, your maternal instincts conflicted."

Leon heard the laugh in D's voice. Silently he followed the kami through the woods.

"You know, we once had a counsellor in the precinct," he finally said. "He made us play stupid trust games. It was embarrassing, the whole farce."

"I can imagine that you would think those games useless." D's voice was still amused.

"Well, there was one game that wasn't useless. We had to pair up and one got blind-folded. Then the other had to lead him through an obstacle course, by the hand."

"I can also see why the momentary situation would trigger the remembrance."

Leon could see the first lights shining through the trees and knew they would soon be back in the hotel. Warmth, civilisation, comfort. Nothing of that was what D needed.

"Can you make a room in the pet shop where no magic works?"

D stopped dead in his tracks, but Leon had anticipated a reaction like this and immediately stopped, too.

"You'd not be allowed in there if I don't say so. None of the pets either. And I'm going to do with it what I want. You're not allowed to say anything about what I do in there."

"I – yes, of course I could make such a room… but why…?"

Leon squeezed D's hand, warm and slim in his. "Because, you know, I wasn't kidding when I said I loved you. 'Cause I do, in a way. And if your love's not like mine, well, fine, no two humans feel the same either, and if you more or less hate my species and try to kill them, so what if you still understand why I want to protect them. It's just like – I don't know, it's not like I can explain. But I won't let you out of my sight again. That's all I wanna say. And that's gotta be enough."

* * *

They were standing at the airport three days after Leon's little speech when the blonde suddenly turned and fumbled something out of his pocket. He slipped it over D's hand and then quickly turned away again, leaving the kami to gaze at the small silver ring.

"Leon, what…?" he started, and the human quickly cut him off.

"It's not a wedding ring or an engagement or anything like this, D. I just figured that, well, since you aren't going to hook up with anyone but me, you shouldn't have to worry about those damned people in Chinatown who're trying to marry you off. You don't have to wear it if you don't like, and it's no obligation towards me or anything. But it's at least going to keep you safe from the worst of it." He shrugged. "You know. A little pretence never hurt anyone."

D looked down on the ring, felt his heart not knowing what to feel about this.

Then he closed his fingers around the ring, making sure he wouldn't lose it.

_I am not going to let you l__ose sight of me either, Leon._

-End-


End file.
